The Street Rat
by The Potters of the Future
Summary: At 4 years old Harry is abandoned in the streets of London watch as he goes through life learning about his magic making friends. What will happen when the time comes to go to Hogwarts will he be able to go? Warnings: Child abuse & Neglect, language!
1. Alone in London

Alone in London

It was a few months before school began for the five year olds Number Four Privet Drive. Now while the whole world knew of Dudley Vernon Dursley very few knew of little Harry James Potter currently dealing with a black eye, broken arm and sprained ankle and numerous cuts and bruises thanks to his uncle "tender, loving care". Vernon and Petunia didn't want the world to know they had freak for a surrogate son. So they were discussing what to do about him. They couldn't keep him locked up indefinitely as much as they would like. The authorities would want to know why he wasn't at school. The only reason he wouldn't be is if he wasn't there.

'It's Dudley's birthday tomorrow,' Petunia said hesitantly, 'what if we take him to the Zoo as planned but take the _boy_,' she sneered glaring in the direction of her nephew's cupboard, 'and leave him. If anyone asks we'll say he never lived with us and act all confused. After all no one knows I have a sister she's on no records from the age of eleven. I'll just say she died at a young age.'

Vernon too smiled it seemed that the plan had been decided it only had to be put into motion. The couple then went up to their bed not without glaring at the cupboard. Vernon Dursley actually aimed a kick at the cupboard. Harry woke up with a start at that but he by now knew better than to say anything. Speaking hurt would just get you hurt. At his not yet five years of age he had more scars than most got in their whole lives. The Dursley couple walked to the top of the stairs. Vernon stopped at the top panting; he made it seem like vigorous exercise. They climbed into their insistently frilly pink bed the covers of Mrs. Dursley's choosing much to the horror of her husband and son. The two slept soundly unlike their nephew who tossed and turned fearing his uncle's cruelty.

'UP!' ordered Aunt Petunia.

The Boy woke with a start and nervously exited his cupboard in nothing but an overlarge red shirt. He stood on a chair and began doing his best not to burn the bacon. So when the Dursley males came down and his cousin was plonked on his seat he gave them a full English breakfast while he was flung back into his cupboard. He pulled out a bit of bacon, a sausage and a crust of bread which he'd managed to steal whilst cooking. Listening for the sound of his relatives coming he quickly munched on them. Petunia later came and pulled her nephew out of the cupboard as he whimpered. She slapped him across the cheek for that. But he was relieved it was nothing worse. Then she forced her nephew into a pair of Dudley's scruffy jeans before she flung him back into the cupboard.

He heard the sounds of the family get ready. They often went out. He didn't know what they did. But he had heard talk of them going to something called the Zoo. The last time they'd gone out his cupboard door had somehow opened for him and he'd been able to watch TV, play with Dudley's toys and steal any food which would go unnoticed and considering he did most of the cooking that was rather easy. They'd gone to the farm. The Boy knew that a farm was a place like Dudley's toy which had strange black and white creatures and pink crawling Dudley's and fluffy things all on green with a house.

But today evidently was different because just as his aunt was struggling with his cousin Boy's scary uncle had flung open his cupboard. Freak, that was what his uncle called him whilst his aunt called him Boy he preferred Boy, tried to move away from his uncle. But it did no good the purple man pulled him out. Freak didn't fight anymore he knew it would just hurt worse if it did. But to his surprise his uncle didn't hit him. He just placed the child on the floor. Boy didn't dare look up at his uncle in case that was a cause for punishment. The rules were so changeable it felt like everything he did was wrong.

'Freak, we're going out, and you're coming with us,' Vernon said in a voice that Harry didn't like at all.

He was pulled outside roughly with Vernon looking around to make sure none of the neighbours noticed the strange boy with them. Then he was flung into the back of the car. It was dark in here even darker than his cupboard. Boy clutched his knees to his chest. He didn't like it in here. He could hardly breathe. He wanted out. He had started crying; not loudly like Dudley did when he wanted something. Silently because he knew he had no hope he was just a bad little freak who needed to be punished by his good family. After being jolted for what to Boy seemed like a lifetime the he was blinded by light.

'Crying huh little freaky cry baby,' sneered Uncle Vernon.

Vernon then proceeded to manhandle the boy out of the car. Boy looked around uncertainly. Then he heard the car start and looked at the retreating silver of the only family he'd ever know. He couldn't say he cared. If they were family then he wanted nothing to do with family! Boy looked around for signs of anything. But all he could see were piles of black bin bags. The place stank. He stared around for a while before making his way over to an old fence which had bits missing he crawled through it glad he was nowhere near the size of his cousin. He'd stumbled out into what appeared to be a street and looked around. He didn't know what to do. He'd hated his life with the Dursleys but at least he got food from time to time, at least he had shelter! He was so frightened and he had started silently crying again.


	2. Goldie

Blondie

Boy eventually stopped crying and stood up not sure what to do when a woman saw him. He flinched back from her instinctively. But she gave him a kind look. She was older than him. She had light blonde hair and understanding blue eyes and very pale skin under the muck and grime. She had a backpack and wore old, torn jeans and a dark jumper. She looked at him as if she knew what was happening with him. She was kinder than his family he decided. She was younger than they were but very obviously a woman. She held out a dirty hand with bitten nails. He didn't bite his nails anymore after Aunt Petunia caught him doing it and held his hand to the cooker. Boy just looked at it not sure what to do.

'Blondie,' she said.

Boy looked confused and looking at her and the hand. He'd never met anyone outside the Dursleys and they didn't like him talking so he didn't talk much if he could help it. When he continued to look blank she gave a sigh and a sad smile. She realised that the kid was afraid and was obviously not well socialised. She could see the black eye and the way he leaned very tenderly on his right foot and held his left arm. He had obviously been abused. Seeing the tears she wondered if he had run away like she had when she was ten or was he left by whoever had hurt him. So she offered the hand again.

'You shake it,' she said kindly.

Boy did so nervously looking up at the woman through his own eyelashes. She wondered why you did this. What was the point of it? And why was she being so nice to a freak? Freaks don't deserve kindness that what Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had always told him. Good little boys like Dudley deserved everything and more bad freakish little bastards deserved to be punished. Aunt Marge had agreed. The two of them looked at each other. Boy nervously and Blondie kindly. Blondie was the one to end the handshake as the kid had no idea what to do. So she decided to elaborate on her sentence.

'Name's Blondie,' greeted Blondie.

'Unca Ver-non call me Fweak. Aun' Petuna call me Boy,' Boy said nervously. 'Dunno others.'

Just what she thought the boy was abused and badly. She was angry at these people. The boy didn't even know his own name! Boy saw the anger on the woman's face and realised that he had made her made. Oh why was he such a freak? He backed away whimpering. Blondie saw this and realised that she was scaring the child. Forcing the anger at the kid's home situation away she held her hands up in surrender and smiled kindly at the boy. Boy saw this and felt a glimmer of hope maybe she would help him. He stopped backing away at least but he still scrutinized Blondie warily. Blondie knew that he would never fully trust other people. But on the streets that was good it made you more likely to survive.

'Hey it's okay,' smiled Blondie, 'I'm not like your aunt and uncle.'

'Weally?' asked the boy hopefully.

'Really,' Goldie smiled, 'I'll call you Raven.'

'Ray-Van,' smiled Boy, 'like dat.'

'So do I come on you look hungry and I'll help you get your injuries tended to,' she added with a smile. 'Don't worry I ran away from home as well.'

'Didnae,' Raven said suddenly, 'dey lef'.'

'I won't,' promised Blondie.

'Will,' Raven shook his head.

The lady would leave too. Everyone did. His mother and father he could barely remember apart from a wave of red hair and the laughter of a man. There were others just beyond Raven's memory. But he couldn't quite catch hold of anything definite; silver hair he thought. A grandfather? He may have hated the Dursleys but they left just like everyone did. Blondie would too. Blondie crouched down staring into the child's bright green eyes which had entirely too much a pain and age for a child that size. He couldn't be much more than three. She was sure at that age she hadn't looked like that. But then again her mother hadn't remarried until she was ten. It was because of her step-father that she ran. She wouldn't let a man touch her ever again she had vowed!

'I promise you Raven that I'll never leave you,' she kissed his head.

Raven stiffened for a second but decided he quite liked that. Goldie held out her hand and Raven hesitantly took it. The two homeless kids walked down the street together. A few blocks away Goldie suddenly stopped she looked left and right to make sure no one was with her before entering an old abandoned Chinese. Seated about the place were children and teenagers from seven to nineteen. Raven looked around nervously when the tallest man stood up. He was muscular and had a skin head. He looked frightening to look at with his muddy brown eyes and the scars adorning both cheeks. Raven ducked behind Goldie cowering. As the man dressed wholly in battered leathers greeted them.

'Hey Goldie who's the kid?' greeted the man.

Raven whimpered.

'I call him Raven,' Goldie replied. 'Doesnae know his name; abusive family. The usual,' shrugged Goldie. 'Hey its okay Raven Brock isn't as scary as he looks; he's really a big softy underneath.'

The man called Brock snorted, 'unless you're with Guy's crew.'

Goldie took Raven away and picked out some old, manky looking bandages and bandaged his swollen foot and broken arm before she found him a couple of bits of bread to eat from somewhere. Raven looked at them suspiciously before he took them and ate them hungrily. He hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast and before that a whole week. Goldie then left to talk to Brock. A red haired kid took her place sitting on a pile of boxes. He looked at the young boy beside him with sharp, grey eyes. He had a red, grimy baseball cap on and a hoodie which looked it could have belonged to Brock before him. He appeared to be only a few years older than Raven and was the youngest apart from Raven.

'Lex,' greeted the red haired boy.

'Rah-vin,' Raven said through a mouthful of bread.

'You might wanna slow down make it last,' suggested Lex which the young boy promptly ignored. 'Fine don' listen I just wanna tae say yeh'll need tae stip hidin' behin' Goldie's skirts if yeh wanna survive here. It's no tae bad jus' now bu' in da winter,' he shuddered.

There was something about the other boy's tone that he took to heart straight away. That night Raven spent snuggled together with the other homeless kids. It wasn't too bad. It was no more uncomfortable than in the cupboard under the stairs. Then the next morning Brock took Raven out where he taught the kid how to steal. It seemed like everything went their way for once and at one point Brock was sure he saw the food leap into the green eyed kid's hand. But he thought he must be imagining it. By the end of the day they came back with more food than they'd ever come back before.

'T'was Raven he's my lucky star,' Brock tussled with the kid's mane of hair.

Raven beamed he'd never been shown so much affection in his life! He was chucked a burger. Raven realised that Lex had been right last night as he hadn't had anything to eat since the bread. Raven decided on only eating a fraction of the food before placing the rest in the bag he'd nicked off a funny speaking man's back. Brock had told him he was an American. American's sounded funny **(AN: sorry if this offended anyone I don't mind the American accent I've got American friends I was just trying to get in the head of a five year old kid who's never so much as left his authoritarian family's house before) **Raven decided before he settled down to sleep with a girl beside him.

The next day he went with Goldie to beg on the street corners. He saw a middle aged man with hair redder than Lex in a funny green dress. He pointed and giggled. She just shrugged as though this was completely normal. But then looking around he realised the red head wasn't the only one who wore the dress thing. She shook her can in front of him. The man stopped and looked between the two of them. Arthur sighed as he took in the two homeless children; the girl could only be a couple years older than Bill and the green eyed boy looked younger than Ginny. He chucked a gallon in hoping that would help them. Goldie looked at it then him outraged.

'Foreign money!' she shouted, 'what the fuck is that useful for we'll never be able to buy anything with it! Fucking pig headed, rich prick!'

The man looked slightly intimidated at the girl's attitude and literally disappeared. Raven who been feeling scared that Goldie would turn her temper on him. But then stopped and shivered feeling something strange click into place in his being as he watched the man disappear. It felt warm and good and something else like a half forgotten memory. Goldie opened and closed her mouth having seen it too. Both of them stared at the same spot for several minutes before they ran off round the corner gaping at each other. Then they started talking at once as though they'd known each other for years.

'Did you see that?' Goldie began.

'You feel dat?' shivered Raven.

'Feel wat?' demanded Goldie, 'but did you see him? He just disappeared; poof and gone! Maybe he was invisible,' she grinned.

'Cloak,' Raven said suddenly.

'What about a cloak?' asked Goldie.

'I don't know it felt like … like … magic,' he whispered the word.

His aunt and uncle had always been obsessed with making sure Raven was quite clear that magic did NOT exist. They refused to even let Dudley watch anything with anything magical in it. They hated it for reasons Raven had never understood. And when Harry said anything about anything acting strangely Vernon would beat him unconscious and then not let him out of his cupboard even for chores for up to a month. So saying it now was a huge step up for him and showed how much he was coming to trust the other homeless child. He watched her apprehensively as she started laughing.

'Magic nah if there was magic we could magic up a house or something,' she laughed.

'If der woz magic dey wouldna hur' us dey'd be too scared of us,' muttered Raven.

Goldie put an arm around the young boy's shoulder, 'no one will ever hurt us again,' she swore to him.

The two found their way back and placed their money in the kitty jar. And they told their story of the strange red headed man and his vanishing act.

'And then he looked at me all frightened and poof he disappeared,' Goldie said dramatically.

'How though,' frowned Raven as he lay down that night to fall asleep.

**Please review.**


	3. Thief

Thief

It was a few months later and Raven knew his birthday had passed he couldn't tell what day it was they all merged together when you were on the streets. He hated his birthday anyway it was an excuse for his uncle to get drunk and knock the stuffing out of him; the drunkenness was to "celebrate" Raven's birth and the beating was to remind him that he was such a waste of space he should never have been born in the first place. Raven was comfortable on the streets it may not be easy but he had people around him so he could count on the others. After all, they had no one else. He was slowly getting over his fear of abandonment and of other people. Raven was now expected to go and earn on his own without Brock or Goldie or anyone else for that matter now that they had showed him the ropes. The street kids had no patience for weaklings who couldn't survive. At first this had made Raven very nervous but now he found it almost easy.

The summer was drawing to a close and the weather felt very tight and close with dense clouds above them. The older kids said that would mean rain was coming. Raven had been told to go to the train station to try and steal money off some of the snobs who were on the trains. He wasn't very good at talking to new people so he could never be counted on for begging. But he had learnt in his four years at the Dursleys how to nick necessities and was found to be very proficient at stealing. He entered King's Cross dressed in a battered, yellow rain coat and the jeans he'd been abandoned in. He'd nicked a pair of trainers our off the front step of a fancy town house. Raven had a feeling they were for girls since they were pink but they were new and had lots of wear in them so no one really cared.

Raven entered the train station as though he had every right to be there. He had found that was the best way to remain inconspicuous to act calm and casual and not be jumpy as though you were up to no good. If you were you were more than likely to get caught like the fifteen year old who was only with them for a month before she was caught and sent back to juvvie. No one missed Kenya; she had tried to usurp Brock's position as Alpha of the pack. Raven decided to start with the easy stuff he slid a sandwich off the counter right under the cashier's nose. It wasn't until he was long gone did she realise Raven wasn't the dark haired man's son.

It was on Platform ten that he saw them. He had spotted his would be target a tall dark haired man in a dark blue suit and a golden tie along with his wife in a cream fur coat and a black leather handbag swinging at her side. Seeing the handbag Raven had his goal. They were with their daughter, or so he presumed, considering she was also tall black but she wore tight fitting jeans and a white jumper. She looked to be around Goldie's age. To most, if not all, straight guys who had hit puberty she would be classed as hot, fit, or stunning. To five year old Raven she was just a target. Then all three of them disappeared. Raven blinked it was the red headed man all over again. He walked over to where they had been standing and leaning on the red bricked wall between platforms nine and ten fell in.

He jumped with a start then looking around he saw a bright scarlet steam train like in Dudleys's TV programmes about Thomas the Tank Engine. Harry looked around gaping seeing lots of children with owls and cats and cloaks and all manner of interesting things. And there was the red headed man with a pump red haired wife and a whole farm of children. The oldest two were in robes; a boy in his mid teens and one a few years younger with a pink haired girl at his side. There were five other children there asides one who wearing glasses like his father, twins with cheeky grins on their faces annoying a boy about Raven's age and a child in pink who seemed to be giggling at her brother's whilst her mother held her. To see such a happy family made Raven's chest ache. Just then his targets past him and he stole the bag and dived back out into the station.

'He stole my bag!' the stuffy posh lady called.

'Get him!' ordered the man.

But Raven had already blended into the masses of other people in the station and continued his day as he had started. It was only hours later that he tiredly made his way back to the Chinese which they lived in. But he kept recalling the strange place had stumbled into. The red headed family was particularly prominent; how he had always wished for a family like that. A mother, a father and siblings; why did his parents leave him? He had wondered this often enough but he never got any answers. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon beat him if he so much as mentioned that he must have had a mother and a father once. He'd always known he looked nothing like them whilst Dudley and Petunia were very blonde and Vernon's white as snow Raven's hair was black as night. All three of their eyes were blue and his eyes were like green headlights. He was small and scrawny whilst Dudley and Vernon were huge and Petunia tall. They had always punished him for being different. But sometimes he wondered if they were related at all. He hoped he didn't look like his parents. After all, what kind of parents left a young child with people like the Dursleys!

'Hey what's wit da lon' face?' Lex laughed as Raven entered.

That was Lex no matter how close things got he would always be there with a laugh on his face. He never let adversary get him down. That was why he counted Lex as his best friend. Raven just shrugged. Raven was quiet. He could talk they'd all heard him talk from time to time. But he was reserved he preferred watching and listening than actually talking. He flung his rucksack on the floor and they started going through the things he had filched. The handbag alone they could sell to some shops as a new bag. In the bag it had more of those strange foreign coins in their. There was a hairbrush which someone tried to unsuccessfully comb Raven's hair with. There was pearl necklace which they separated and would sell to jewellers. Raven relayed the story of how he'd got it to his friends.

'You always go on the best 'ventures, Rave,' laughed Lex.

Then there were various wallets full of money and train tickets and credit cards which they could do little with as they only had three tries to guess the true. And if they used it they could track them back to where the homeless kids were staying. So they were chucked. There was the odd item of interest in the bags phones which they could always cell on the black market, a pocket watch and the like. Raven knew he wouldn't need to steal again for a while. They ordered pizza where Goldie waited for it far enough away for them not to be spotted entering here. And all tucked into dinner. Far away people Raven once knew where unknowingly talking about the Boy Who Lived.

In Amelia Bones' Office Dumbledore, Hillary and Noah Jones along with members of the Department of Law Enforcement stood. She sighed this was such a waste of her time. If only the Jones' weren't childhood friends of Millicent Bagnold the current Minister of Magic then there wouldn't be such a fuss over a stolen handbag. It would be something for some low level ministry employee to deal with not her. So she put on what she hoped was a sympathetic smile and tried to deal with this professionally like she would any other deal. The Jones' didn't even seem that shaken up about it. And considering the kind of money they had she didn't think they needed it. By the sound of it the ragamuffin Muggle needed it far more.

'How did some Muggle brat get in anyway?' demanded Hillary showing the fact that she was Lucius Malfoy's sister and did have a slightly skewed view on Muggles as all Malfoys seemed to have.

'Muggle-Born I'd say,' interjected Dumbledore, 'no Muggle can get onto the platform; it has Muggle repelling charms.'

'This is why Muggle-Borns shouldn't be allowed into our society little thieves and beggars they are,' sneered Mrs Jones.

'Now, now, Hillary, some of the best witches and wizards have been Muggle-Borns they're no different to us,' though Dumbledore's eyes twinkled away his voice became decidedly cool.

Amelia decided to interrupt before the conversation become so political. Of course, if it came down to it she's side with Dumbledore. Some of her best friends were Muggle-Borns she had no problems with any of the blood types. It was just plain stupid if you asked Amelia. But there were many who disagreed with her and so in the name of the political game she kept her thoughts and opinions to herself. But all this between the old man and white blonde witch was driving her mad.

'It is not about his blood status. Can you give me rough age?' she asked.

'Three, four,' sniffed Hillary. 'What a child that age is doing on the streets. Why my Hillary was riding her first broom at that time.'

'It is likely the child's home situation which allows him to do so,' Dumbledore said softly.

'And what did the boy look like?' asked Amelia.

'Black hair,' Noah said in a thick welsh accent. 'Lots of it too I noticed because I'd seen him watching us. He had bright green eyes which shone with intelligence.'

'Any other distinguishing features?' asked Amelia.

'Not that I could see,' Noah shook his head.

'Common little ragamuffin,' muttered Mrs. Jones.

'And what happened?' asked Amelia.

'Whilst I was looking around to check that no Muggles were watching I saw him watching but when he saw I had looked at him he looked away,' Mr. Jones began.

'Definitely something to hide; filthy little Mud-Blood,' muttered Mrs, Jones.

'Please Hillary can you not use such language in here,' Albus added in a warning tone eyes dancing with a dangerous fire.

'Please continue Mr. Jones,' nodded Amelia.

'Well we entered the platform and I was just saying goodbye to Gwennie when I heard my wife yell "He stole my bag!" I then turned around just to see the child vanish out of the platform. I wasted time shouting "Get him!" so by the time we had left the platform he had gone,' he told them.

'He must have followed you discretely,' murmured Dumbledore.

'Can you tell me what he was wearing?' asked Amelia.

'Disgusting yellow cloak thing,' Mrs. Jones wrinkled her nose.

'Thank you for your assistance I'll see where the leads get us,' thanked Amelia.

Amelia left her office to find Arthur Weasley to see if he could get word to King's Cross staff. She walked into his poky office which had no windows and only two desks miraculously squeezed in. On the wall were several still pictures of Muggle objects. On the desk was a photo of the Weasley family Christmas Muriel Prewett's with the twins causing chaos as always. She looked around for the man himself and as Arthur came hurrying into his office in a tatty green cloak pulling it off apparently not noticing the woman before him he showed himself to be dressed in dark brown robes. Turning to see Amelia Bones before him he stopped.

'Amelia what are you doing here?'

'You've heard about the Jones' theft,' Amelia pursed her lips. 'I'm looking for the child I've decided to contact the Muggle authorities as he is most likely Muggle-Born.'

'And homeless,' sighed Arthur.

'What do you mean,' frowned Amelia.

'He and a blonde girl who must be in her late teens were outside the ministry the other day – not that they knew they were – begging for money. The girl got rather angry when I didn't give her Muggle money,' admitted Arthur. 'I recognized him at the station.'

'So the thieving is to support himself,' sighed Amelia. 'I have to uphold the laws but…' she trailed off.

'You morally hope that nothing comes of this,' Arthur agreed.

'You'll have to get into Muggle clothes,' warned Arthur. 'And say that you're looking for him in behalf of his family.'

Amelia nodded and left for Muggle London she entered the Train Station. There were some of those Muggle Aurors she racked her brain for the half-remembered Muggle Studies lessons she had dropped at the end of fifth year. Police men that was it; they sure looked funny with their funny black hats with the silver prettying it up. A nice pointy plain hat or maybe with a buckle if they absolutely _had _to have _something _on it would be so much more effective. She supposed that the jumper would provide warmth in the colder months but a cloak would be much better and easier to remove when it got too hot. The trousers were fine for moving about in if they had to go in pursuit of the criminals.

'Amelia Bones I've heard a homeless boy was in this are that his family are trying to locate,' Amelia greeted them briskly.

'So that's the boy who's been nicking bags and wallets we've caught him on tapes a few times but he disappears whenever we try to get too close,' the police man told her.

She saw those startling green eyes and fluffy black hair that contrasted terribly to the yellow anorak that he looked like it had been washed down the Thames more than once. Those green eyes made her shiver they were much too old for a three year old. And when Amelia saw how good a pickpocket he was – if it hadn't been for the cameras nobody would know it was him she wondered how long the kid had been living on the street. After a few hours Amelia had to admit it was useless. A thought that bothered her less than it should. The only reason she would want him caught would be to place him with a nice family who could take care of him, like Arthur's family. The Jones' wouldn't be impressed but Amelia didn't like them anyhow.


	4. Winter Fire

Winter Fire

It was just after Christmas and the seventeen street kids aged from Raven's five to Brock's nineteen were huddled over what blankets they had scrounged. They had all the clothes they owned divided out between them as best they could. Raven was squashed between Goldie, who's maternal instincts never let him far out of her eyesight if she could help it, and a gangly thirteen year old boy who couldn't talk as he had at some point had his tongue cut out so had no way of expressing his name so no one knew his name. Goldie had been trying to get him to accept being known as something. But every name he shook his head at. But as the night frost took over making Raven's very bones shiver all talk and movement had ceased in order to conserve as much heat as possible as they huddled together as one.

Raven whimpered he was feeling very weak; weaker than he had ever done before. And considering how much he had been physically abused and starved that was saying something. His throat like it was on fire and his head felt like Dudley was sitting on it, again, which was stupid because he hadn't seen Dudley in months. His whole body felt like he was being beaten by his uncle. He was shivering violently; it was so cold, so very cold. He wanted it to be warm and then suddenly a strange sense; the strange sense that he felt when he had been on the strange platform with the scarlet train and when the red haired man in a dress had vanished.

And then WHAM!

Some of the other kids cried out or screamed. Right there above them was a blaze. It was powerful and dangerous. Brock stood up with his blanket still clutched around him. The other kids were screaming. But Raven couldn't get his brain to function properly. The fire was spreading burning the faded turquoise wall papered walls the burnt out candle stands and what had once been lights when connected to the mains. The old carpet which had been trampled to the ground was getting hotter by the second. Brock looked around he wasn't the leader of this gang of street urchins for nothing. He took one look and knew they had to move on.

'OUT NOW!' ordered Brock.

Most were already heading out, or already out already. You didn't survive on the street for long if you needed the older ones to tell you what to do in an emergency. But Raven hadn't moved. Goldie looked at the kid whose eyes were unfocused and face red and sweaty. Now that she thought of it he looked ill, really ill. She could have cursed herself for this the kid couldn't be more four and he was out on the streets when the temperature couldn't have reached zero. She had to go back for the boy. She was about to dive into the flames but before she could Brock had grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the building.

'Goldie no,' he shouted trying to make his voice heard above the inferno.

'Brock how could you?' she demanded. 'He's just a kid!' Goldie had tears in her eyes.

'I couldn't let you die,' he then took her in his arms and kissed her.

Goldie tensed he was kissing her… he was going to… not again… not again… she had trusted him … and all he wanted…. Brock watched concerned as the girl of his dreams seemed to be having hysterics. Just then the building blew up splattering debris all over the place. The alley kids had scattered leaving only Brock and Goldie behind. Goldie dropped to her knees onto the ice cold hard ground crying for the first time in perhaps seven years when she was ten. And she had left her mother and step-father if he could be called that. All she could think was that smart, brave, resourceful little boy who was probably not even old enough to have started school was dead. And she had done nothing to stop it! Tears cascaded down her cheeks.

'Raven! Raven! Raven!' she called repeating the mantra again and again in a false hope that she could save the kid.

'It's too late he's gone,' Brock said gruffly.

She stood up tears still in her eyes and launched herself at the older boy whom she blamed for sweet little Raven's death who had done nothing to deserve being abused or left on the streets or dying in a freak fire. In truth none of them did. Not her who had a nice life with her single mother until _he _came along. Not Lex whose parents had died in a car crash leaving him alone and bullied at an orphanage he ran. She would say not Brock but she had no idea about his past as he wouldn't talk about himself. But now she thought that if he was enough of a cruel, selfish coward that he would leave a defenceless, ill, innocent child to burn to an untimely death then maybe he deserved all God gave him. She punched and hit him sobbing all the while

'YOU!' she punched him. 'WHY!' she punched him again. 'DIDN'T!' she punched him again. 'YOU!' she lashed out at the side of his face again. 'LET!' she punched him again. 'ME!' she lashed out again. 'GO!' this time aiming for his nose and hearing, with satisfaction, a sickening crack. 'BACK!' she punched him again. 'AND!' she kicked him where it hurt hearing a groan but not done. 'SAVE HIM!' she yelled punching him in the gut.

Brock lay on the floor broken and in pain as the hysterical girl he had been in love for two years took the shit out of him. He looked at the burning debris that was home since he was fifteen and wondered how this had happened on a freezing day in December. The stars were blinking annoyingly at him and spinning around his head as the police and fire brigade got there. The firemen quickly set to work putting the fire out. It was obviously just the reserves considering it was still the holidays. But they worked quickly and proficiently and soon the fire was out. A man in blue looked down at the two of them.

'Having a lover's spat?' he asked in thick cockney.

'Fuck you,' retorted Brock.

'Ah Danny Brockman long time no see. Was this you?' another older officer demanded recognizing Brock.

'But we all know how you love starting fires,' the older officer reminded him. 'Thought you could escape justice for ever?'

'That bastard deserved it,' he told the police officer obviously not talking about Raven.

'And what about Raven?' demanded Goldie tears in her eyes.

'That wasn't me,' shouted Brock, 'that was a bloody tragedy. And if I had left you the only difference would be you'd both be dead.'

'Who is Raven?' the younger police officer asked.

'A child no more than four possible less,' Goldie let out more than a few tears at this.

There was a tense silence as the police and fire brigade exchanged looks. Some firemen in masks and full body suits charged in looking for the child as Goldie and Brock were clapped in handcuffs. A few minutes later and the fireman with sandy hair and dark blue eyes came out holding only the woollen red hat which Goldie had found for the child to keep his ears warm. It was slightly singed. The sandy haired man's dark blue eyes looked to be full of a turbulent emotion with sadness and guilt at not being able to get there in time. He shook his head and sighed closing his eyes he always hated it when he was too late to save them.

'I'm sorry, miss,' he said gruffly, 'that's all we found if he was there he would have been at the centre of the blast. There's no way a grown man could have survived never mind a little child. Here,' he dropped the hat in her cuffed hands.

'I gave it to him to keep him warm,' she whispered tears in her eyes again.

The police officers' eyes had softened towards her even if the old one with a moustache was still glowering at Brock; not that he didn't deserve it. And they were bundled into the back of the police van and taken down the station. Goldie turned her head away from the homeless man beside her and leant her head against the cool window seeing the last of the smoke still rising in the distance. She wondered if Raven's ashes were still in there. She just hoped he was free at last. Brock looked at the blonde girl with scraggly hair. He couldn't have let her die. And how could he explain his father's death to her. His father's murder. His father's murder by him. It was too complicated, too messy, too much hurt and she could never understand.

They arrived at the police station and were placed in different cells. This didn't bother Brock he had been in more cells between the ages of eleven and fifteen when he'd escaped to the streets than he cared to remember. But he worried about Goldie. She was such a gentle spirit how could a girl like her hope to survive this intact. She'd be eaten alive if she ended up in prison. He didn't know why Goldie had ended up on the streets she didn't like talking about it. But then again no street kid did. Life is what it is looking back on the past and things they could have done differently were not going to change anything so better just to live in the moment than anything else.

Goldie had never been in a cell. It had a bunk which could be barely classed as a bed but as she had spent her last seven years on the floor it wasn't half bad. It had a thin blanket but there had to be some form of central heating as it was decidedly warmer than in the Chinese. She bit back a sob. Oh she wasn't going to miss the building it was just a place to lay her head. But that little boy had been the light in her darkness. She had been so sure he would grow to do great things she just felt it in her very bones. But alas it was not to be. All because of bloody Brock! She tapped on the walls apparently the large, grey stones they were rather thick as she couldn't hear anything when she knocked. She looked around and saw nothing else but a single light bulb. She lay down on the bed and attempted to sleep but whenever she did all she saw was that scared little boy about to die. He had always been so brave.

The next morning after a bad night's sleep Goldie was lead to an interview room. There sat a woman with a red curled hair and dark brown sympathetic eyes she was quite short. Beside her was the severe looking man who had known Brock from before. Goldie barely suppressed a snort. They were so obviously playing good cop bad cop it was almost pathetic. The officer sat her in a seat opposite her. The old man nodded at him and she left. Goldie wondered when they were going to read her rights. Legally she knew they had to. Or at least that was what she remembered her mother's TV programmes were like. But things weren't always like that in real life. In stories like Cinderella the poor stepdaughter triumphed over the wicked step-mother, well in her case step-father. But real life wasn't a fairy story. In real life good people had bad lives. In real life bad people were never punished. In real life the good lost and evil prevailed. In the real world innocents could die she thought of the shy and scared child she first met in June to the smiling kid who belonged so completely with the rest of them.

'First things first your phone call,' the old policeman said gruffly.

Goldie shook her head. There was no one she wanted to phone. Her only family was with a bastard she wanted nothing to do with. The street kids had no phones. And even if they did it wouldn't up her image to have a bunch of loud, foul mouthed, scruffy homeless kids who were considered the dregs of society by most if not all rich snobs like this. The police were especially bad at misjudging her kind. It was largely not their fault they'd ended up on the streets it was just they'd drawn the short straw from Fate in the draw of life. The old man looked neither surprised or concerned at this.

'Would you like a lawyer?' he asked.

She knew that it would be provided by the state so nodded and then politely waited for when this would begin. She hoped that she would do enough to get out. The streets may not be glamorous but at least she knew the rules. In here she was at the mercy of the government. She had no say in what she did. She hated being homeless if only her mother had married a decent guy. Surely she wasn't happy with the bastard. As the minutes ticked by Goldie resisted the urge to tap her foot. She was so goddamn bored.

**Please review. Thank you to those three who have so far have reviewed. So all use on Story Alert please review.**


	5. Fever

Fever

Raven couldn't move his whole body was hurting way too much to so much as thing. Je felt his body rack with pain as a coughing fit came on. He saw Brock pull Goldie out the door and leave Raven in the inferno. He was frightened. She'd left him too. She'd promised to stay. First his parents, then his aunt and uncle, now his friends everybody always left in the end. He heard Goldie's hysterical voice as she tried to get to him. But he couldn't move. He couldn't get out to her. What was wrong with him? It was too much as he choked and spluttered both on his own illness and the fumes. His head and chest and everywhere else hurt he sneezed a few times. Then he fainted just as the whole building exploded. But Raven heard nothing of this he was deaf to the world.

All decent people were in bed at this point so there was nobody to see what happened next. The boy's skin began glowing. At first it looked like Raven was burning up his skin very pink. Then it went past normal sickness colour. The child was literally golden. In the boy's blood his magic was fighting off the infection and incidentally saving his life. Then suddenly he opened his bright green eyes and cried a burst of golden energy triggering exhaustion within. Then he collapsed onto the dark bench beneath him exhausted with the magical output he had to use just to survive. But he looked far healthier now. No more was his skin red and peaky and he seemed cushioned from the wind by his own forces where he lay was several degrees warmer than anywhere else. Raven turned over onto his side once and slept the world away. The morning would bring new troubles but for now he was allowed to simply rest.

Jean watched her young daughter run through the park. Hermione was always a bright and excitable child at the best of times. And on top of that she was innately curious that Jean and Henry Granger spent there whole time trying to keep Hermione from getting into trouble. The park was always beautiful in the morning just after the sun had rise. Today was no different. It was still frosty and you could see the crispness of the grass. It looked faintly magical with the silver lining the greenery and pathways. Hermione loved the frost she had found. She was the same last year when the cold snap had occurred in January before she had started formal education and only went to nursery a few weeks ago.

'Mummy what's that?' the little five year old pointed.

Hermione ran off with her mother desperately trying to see what she had seen. On a bench was little boy curled up against the biting cold he had a large black overcoat which wouldn't on which seemed to keep out the majority of the cold weather. She could see muck and grime littering his face. She could only guess he hadn't seen a wash in months; if he ever had. He wore the trainers that had once belonged to Hermione which had been nicked from their porch months back. At the time she had thought that Henry had lost them in the house somewhere but it seemed the street urchin had needed them more. She instinctively placed a hand on his forehead careful to see that he was not burning up from a fever. After all he was just a kid. How he had ended up sleeping on park benches she didn't know.

But soon as she touched he bolted upright and jumped back staring wildly around looking like a hunted animal. She tried to raise her hands to placate him. But he seemed petrified and jumpy. Again she wondered what had happened to him. He bared his teeth and Jean pulled Hermione out of his reach. Hermione stared around her mother's knees at the strange wild boy. He had intelligent piercing green eyes which seemed to see right through you. His hair was grubby and he certainly smelt like he could do with a wash. But she could see he was frightened. He looked younger than she was. Jean was saddened by the fear and age that was in the child's eyes. He looked between them and then took off darting between trees and benches she hadn't tried to keep up. Better to call the police and social services.

Raven had woken up suddenly to see a woman staring at him with a hand on his head. She wasn't like the other children around here. She was too well dressed and smelled like riches. She was probably one of the snobs who looked down on him. But she had a strange glow around her a soft pink maternal energy. He didn't understand why. What was she? So he jumped back in fear. There was a girl who looked around his age dressed in a warm pink jacket and white tights with little red booties as Aunt Petunia called them. She looked spoilt to Raven. But then again every child who treated decently was spoilt. She had a lilac bubble around her and seemed more curious than frightened of him. He didn't like being on displace and looked around wildly baring his teeth in an instinctive "I'm not afraid of you" way. The pink woman pulled the little girl out of his way. He could have snorted he wasn't an animal he didn't attack people for no reason. Looking between them he jumped over the bench and ran and ran and ran. Away from anyone who would send him back to the Dursleys.

He found himself back where the fire had begun it was still full of police trying to find how the fire had started. They were running around with coloured blobs surrounding them. He stared at them in confusion why were they still here? He wondered. He knew what had happened. He knew because he was freak. He didn't know how he had done it. But he had done it before. Little things like making things come to him, how he healed faster than most, and was able to make the chores done in a second. And when he was so cold Raven had accidentally stared a fire. Maybe this was why he could see the colours of the people around. They always seemed to suit the colour Raven just couldn't explain it. He sighed everyone had gone. It seemed he was going to have to make it on his own now. He should have realised this. People never stuck around; not for him!

What he needed now was some food. So he wandered around for a bit before he spotted a man selling hot dogs. The man had black hair and dark, greasy skin with very brown eyes. He looked tired and cold. Harry could understand his coldness it was a freezing day. He decided to go and help the man out hoping if he impressed the man enough he would let him have a hot dog. Harry had never had a hot dog before but Dudley said they were nice. Walking up to the man he could see his blob was a tired grey colour. Harry could see the silver of the man's stand it had bright red and yellow bottles on it. As he got closer to his destination he could feel the heat pick up. The silver stand seemed to radiate heat yet the man was still cold. He obviously didn't know how to last a day in the city. Raven was quite dismissive of this fact.

'Hey mister, need any help?' Raven asked.

'Now what's a nice young lad like you doing out here on your own?' smiled the old man a patch of golden sunlight flickering across his grey.

'Jus' wanna help,' Raven shrugged popping his ps like Lex had always done.

The old man named Derrick surveyed the kid for a moment taking in his small, skeletal frame and long, black, decade old overcoat which was effective at keeping out the cold. And understanding flickered in his eyes. He knew of the homeless situation – who didn't – but he preferred to look the other way than have to deal with the fact that absolute poverty and prosperity lived side by side. He smiled and took out a hot dog bun and hot dog putting it together he handed it to the child whose eyes went as wide as saucers. Derrick very much doubted he was given things for free very often. Derrick smiled as the child grabbed the hotdog out of his hands and ran away as if he was going to take it back if he stayed there for any longer. Derrick watched the child run and hoped he'd find somewhere warm to stay for now.

Raven couldn't believe he'd been given a free meal. At the Dursleys house he had to work from dawn to dusk and steal just to get a simple snack. On the streets he'd had to beg and steal to get anything worth eating. But that tired old man had just given it to him. He didn't understand it. Nobody did that not for him! He munched happily on his hotdog as he looked for somewhere to stay. He'd always had Goldie and the gang. But now he had to watch out for himself. He walked under an underpass which would be a shelter from the wind and rain if it did nothing for the cold. He set about trying to find away which it would be warmer. But soon gave up. He'd just have to make do when night fell. He wished Goldie or Brock or Lex or any of the other kids were there. They'd know what to do!

He thought about what he'd done with the other children to keep warm. They'd snuggle up together under all the blankets and clothes they owned to try and keep out the biting cold. As he was on his own and had everything he owned with him then there was no point trying to snuggle up. What he needed was a small fire. Not like the blaze that had destroyed there home last night. But a small one that he could sit beside to keep him warm. Then he wondered about the blaze that he was certain he'd made. He concentrated on that strange feeling of warmth and rightness that had been there before and pop a small fire was glowing in the air. He settled down and closed his eyes and lay down beside the fire for warmth. He knew it wasn't much but it was the best he could do.

The next morning he woke early to the sound of a runner. He quickly hid he knew what the snobs who owned houses thought of the homeless. His fire had obviously gone out at some point in the night. He watched the man run past. Why anyone would wear shorts on a freezing winter day was beyond him. But he got up and was going to see if he could filch anymore hotdogs off the man when he ran into Lex. Raven felt a smile stretch over his face. Lex looked at the younger boy proudly. The kid had managed to stay alive on his own on a freezing December day. There was something about the kid. He obviously was a survivor to survive for that long in an abusive household and manage to heal enough mentally to actually be of some use to them. He had been certain the kid was dead and with the police taking Goldie and Brock away they had had to find somewhere else.

'Goldie?' asked Raven.

'Gone,' shrugged Lex. 'You did well tae survive, kiddo.'

'Nobody else will look after me best tae look a'ter myself,' shrugged Raven trying to imitate Lex's language.

'That's da spirit,' Lex pulled the younger boy along with him.

They got down to the docks where Lex was greeted by everyone. Lex grinned and smiled apparently in his element. He entered a run down shack where several of the fourteen kids were crouched. They all looked at them while they entered. But Raven had already decided he was not going to heavily rely on the others. Oh he was going to stay with them. But he had learnt the hard way that the only one you could really trust was yourself. He was handed a bad of crisps and a blanket which he snuggled down into. It was a little warmer than last night but it was still absolutely freezing. Lex grinned at him and leant down too. He missed Blondie but he would get over it. It's not like she was the first one to abandon in. Just the first person you trusted a snide voice in the back of Raven's head reminded him. Raven promptly ignored that in favour of eating some of the crisps.

'How do you think the fire started?' asked Gemma.

The others shook their head. Raven looked at his knees. He knew it was him. But he wasn't going to say anything; he needed them! And they'd never let him stay if they knew he was responsible for destroying their home and loosing the two oldest in the group. He didn't want them thinking he was a freak too. Tonight was very loud compared to the night before. It was still cold but it wasn't that bad. And they could survive. But they knew when the holidays ended and the docks were once again full. But it would last them the cold snap according to the older boys and girls. Raven pulled his jacket around him wishing he hadn't lost his hat and blanket in the fire. The other boys had "found" replacements over the course of the day. Raven remembered how Goldie used to share all her stuff she had gathered over the years she had been on the street. But the others were content to let him get on with it. It had been a hard learned lesson but he got it; look out for yourself because you can't trust anyone else to do it for you. And just like that Harry's whole outlook on life had changed. The little boy had grown up a lot in the past few hours and as the weeks turned into months and the months into years he showed the world exactly why he had been able to survive so long on the streets.

**Okay people next time we see Harry/Raven it will be a few years on. I hope you liked his darkening personality. Please review.**


	6. The Fight

The Fight

It was a couple years since Raven had been abandoned by his aunt and uncle as a four year old. He had recently turned eight years old. It was still the summer so his worries were only where to find food. Raven's hair was as dark as ever and even more filled with grime than before as his hygiene routines left a lot to be desired. His emerald green eyes had darkened and were sharp as flints and they spoke of intelligence and wisdom even if he was no scholar; no longer shining with the dark innocence they had when he was a child. His eyesight had been bad but after the incident when he was five and his power had surged all about him he found he had found he could see better than before. Indeed he could sense people's souls. There was probably a name for what he was seeing but he didn't know it. He was still rather short for his age. But that just helped with his pickpocketing; who could ever suspect a small child of six or seven to be a well seasoned thief. Lex warned him it wouldn't be so easy when he got older. Underneath the various old baggy clothes that Raven had acquired over the years on the street he was had a wiry muscle he had gained from living rough for so long.

That night he was coming back from the street market which he had nicked food and cash from the registers. He was rather pleased with his day's "earnings". He no longer relied on the other kids for help and support. He relied on only himself and that was the way Raven liked it! The House-Dwellers were mainly inside now for their posh fancy dinners which could keep Raven fed for a week at least. Raven glared into the windows as he passed careful to keep his hood up. He knew better than to show his identity; the police weren't too fond of the homeless population. They claimed it to be the rate of crime. But Raven was convinced they just pigheaded bigoted sons of bitches. But what was he going to do. He hurried around the corner to find a place where he would spend the night.

That was when he saw them it was a group of teens all in black hoodies and dark jeans. Though they were something any homeless kid could wear Raven could tell that some of the boys clothes were good quality – probably designer if their smirks were anything to go by – so there was the poor mixed in with the rich in this vie for power. They were obviously well off kids who had got bored so decided to act violently attempting to form a gang but only with the six of them. Raven tensed glad that before Brock had been sent to prison that he had been beginning teaching the little five year old how to fight. But that had been two and a half years ago. He'd seen fights before but Lex or one of the other kids had always been there. Now he was on his own. He looked around. Running was out; they were too old with long legs almost as long as Raven was tall.

There was one of the boys who seemed to be the leader of the pack. The young man seemed to be around Goldie's age when they'd been seperated. He had dark hair which was made purposefully messy in a way that Raven couldn't understand. If you had the ability and resources to be cleanly why make it look like you weren't. His dark eyes didn't have much intelligence shining through. Raven could have rolled his eyes he was just an idiot who thought he was better than he was. He was very clean; Raven could see that he wanted to show off a rebellious and tough guy attitude but in reality he was just a Nancy boy. The kid had no weapons that Raven could see. Raven could bet he just wanted to make himself look big in front of his posh easily swayed friends. Raven just smirked at the boy making the boy growl.

On either side were a bulky set of twins who looked far more threatening than their "leader". They had a thickset build from muscle or fat Raven couldn't tell. He certainly hoped it was the latter. They were about a head shorter than the leader too. Their hair wasn't as dark as Raven's but it wasn't light either; it seemed to be the shade of brown that came before black. Their eyes contrasted with their dark hair bringing and eerie silver light to their faces shining in the darkness. Their skin was greasy making Raven suspect it was fat rather than muscle making up the majority of their bulk. They barred their teeth in a feral way and Raven could see that unlike the rich kid in between them they were street kids making them much more dangerous than him. It was hard to define their ages but they seemed a little younger than the rich boy but their years on the street had aged them.

There were three other boys. There was a spiky blonde, blue eyed boy with sharp teeth and braces who stood back. He looked intelligent and manipulative. And he was definitely physically fit. Raven was wary of him. The other two seemed younger and looked like they had just come onto the streets. Raven knew by the way he looked over at the leader he was only there for him and was insistently loyal. Looking at the way they stood nervously their alternatively sand and chestnut hair straggly hair and rings around their eyes and muck on their clothes and small backpacks. Raven could see they were new on the street most likely with the two older twin boys. Raven had seen kids like that before; they rarely lasted long. They'd either go home to their mummies or die if that was not an option. Raven wasn't too worried about their could be deaths; he'd seen plenty of dead kids before; in the worst cold snaps and after gang fights. He knew the law of the street so a couple of more deaths didn't faze him at all.

'Hello kiddo going home to mummy and daddy,' sneered the leader.

Raven stopped himself from wincing. He'd seen many families with a mother and a father and siblings. But he knew that his parents didn't care any for him or they wouldn't have left him with the fucking Dursleys. But he refused to show this spoilt brat of a boy how much his words hurt. So he just glared steadily back at the boy making no comment. But he knew his lack of comment would be taken as disdain; a perfect insult. But he wouldn't let himself be walked all over! Never again would he let himself be beaten by adults, or near adults. He was stronger than when he had been when he'd been in Surrey. He was no kid. And Raven was always a born survivor. The Dursleys didn't brake him, nor living on the streets, nor the fire, nor loosing Goldie, nor would these twerps. When he still didn't answer there was anger.

'You know little boys who stay out to late get their comeuppance,' added the blonde boy as his friend snicker.

Again Raven didn't answer the taunt. He had grown up for four years of his life in an abusive household. The Dursleys abuse wasn't constrained to physical abuse it incorporated verbal abuse as well. But he knew they were wrong. The one thing that was never mentioned was Raven's name, Raven's mother and father. Refusing to reply to the boy he instead launched himself with a feral snarl at the blonde boy having seen him as the biggest threat. He after all was the one with the knife. And he needed the knife if he was going to get out of here alive. He needed a weapon as he wasn't going to win by numbers, size, strength or skill. Raven was just glad there was only one weapon. He grabbed it from the boy's brown belt which could be barely seen in the dark. He slashed his pretty face in feeling a glow of satisfaction as he yelled out.

'Oi you mother fucker!' the boy clutched at his bleeding face.

The bulky twins moved simultaneously to get to the little rodent who had dared to challenge them. They didn't understand when the kid just closed his eyes. But Raven was summoning the warm power that he knew rested deep within him channelling it in a way he had rarely done purposefully but he had no doubts he could do it properly this time. And result! The two big boys were flung hard into the walls; unconscious at best. The two unseasoned street boys and the rich fuck were staring non-comprehending how a little kid had defeated the three gang members; two without so much as lifting a finger. Who was the devil child? They were frightened. The not so pretty boy was still whimpering and clutching his face at Raven's feet. Raven didn't so much as spare him a passing glance. Obviously deciding there were safer targets the rich boy took off at a run.

'Come on let's get out of here,' he called to any of his friends who were able to respond.

The two newbies followed him. And Raven knew they wouldn't be on the streets much longer. He knew the look when it was realised what street life was like. That was the look when you chose street life; when you had a choice. The three ran off leaving two unconscious teenagers and one injured teenager with a dark haired preteen. Raven picked up the blood splattered knife firmly deciding that keeping it was the best option in case he ever needed it again. And considering he was living homeless on the streets of London the chances were that he almost certainly would. He wiped it on the blonde's dark hoodie hearing nothing more than a whimper at this. He looked down into the blue fearful eyes. He remembered when the same look was in his eyes and his eyes softened.

'Who are you?' whispered the boy.

'I am Raven,' Raven said proudly.

The kid then ran off into the distance. Soon the blonde could not make out what was him and what were the shadows. He could see perfectly well that the child was at home on the street and wouldn't be found if he didn't want to. The blonde named Gerry picked himself up taking off his blood splattered jumper and holding it to his face to try and stop himself loosing anymore. That was what you did in situations like that. Wasn't it? He hoped that was what you did. But in honestly he had no idea what to do. He just wanted to go home where his mum would be there to make everything better. And to think this had all started with teasing a little kid about going home to his own parents. It had become blatantly obvious to Gerry that the child had no family. He was almost feral he thought remembering with a shudder the snarl that the boy had emitted as he had sliced open Gerry's face.

Stumbling into his home he just had time to hear his mother's scream before he fainted. In all her years of disapproval as her son went out at all times of night Molly had never been more upset to be right. As much as she knew it was because of his night time activities which she had always doubted involved girls as he always tried to bluff his way out. And now here was the proof and she hated it. She wished she, just this once, had been wrong and her son's angelic face was not destroyed. But she had no time for that with a shaking hand she dialled 999 phoning the ambulance. Now all she had to do was wait! She didn't think moving him off the floor would do any harm since he had already walked from whether he had been hurt. So carefully she moved him to the sitting room.

The Gallagher home was a modern one. The living room's walls were white washed with photos mainly of Gerry with his mother and father and friends, and pictures of the Irish country side to brighten the room up and remind Molly and Neil Gallagher of their home in the countryside of Mayo. There was a large bay window flooding the room with orange light from the street lamps. Molly laid her teenaged son on the faded turquoise couch before turning the light on. Molly was blinking at the sudden white light that filled the room. Gerry looked even worse in this light. Molly sank down onto the other turquoise couch opposite the small TV and buried her face in her hands wishing there was something more she could do while she waited for the ambulance to come. She then decided to phone the police.

Finally the ambulance came and after making sure that Gerry was stable removed him to the hospital. At the hospital Molly paced as she waited for the doctors to bring some news on Gerry. The police arrived and she told them what she knew, leaving out her suspicions on what her son had been up to. She didn't want to betray her son after all. Sometime in the long night Gerry arrived his usual sparkling blue eyes dimmed and fair face looking the colour of sour milk. He ran a large hand through his blonde locks which was as full as it had been when they had been teenagers. He saw Molly and walked towards her putting an arm around his wife. Molly was just glad that she had her husband here for comfort even if he couldn't do anything. There was a couple of police waiting for Gerry to wake up to tell them who it was who had stabbed him.

Sometime in the early hours of the morning they were informed that Gerry was awake. If it hadn't been for them being in a hospital and Neil's arms around her Molly would have ran into check on her only son's health. As it was she walked fast tugging Neil along with her; not that he protested. Neil too wanted to make sure Gerry was okay. Of course when they got him home the teenager was going to be grounded until he was grey but he wanted to make sure that he was okay. Walking into the room which was white a pristine with a telly in the corner they were shocked to see Gerry who was sitting up on the bed with a bandage covering most of his face. His bright blue eyes that he shared with Neil were nervous.

'Gerry,' sobbed Molly. 'I'm so glad your okay.'

'Okay,' Gerry looked at her in disbelief, 'I'm scarred for life! How will I ever get another girl again?' he demanded.

'It could have been a lot worse,' growled the policeman behind him. 'Now can you tell me what happened?'

'I was with Crispin Bennet we were walking home and a little freak attacked me with a knife. The others ran off,' scowled Gerry.

'Who was this attacker?' asked the police officer.

'Little boy a ragamuffin if I ever saw one; matted black hair and cold green eyes,' shrugged Gerry.

'One of the homeless,' murmured the police officer.

'Strange they don't usually attack without being provoked,' frowned his partner.

'Thank you if anything else comes up we'll contact you,' he nodded and left the family with his partner.


	7. The Orphanage

The Orphanage

Raven was nine and a half when he pulled his dark coat further around him. It was winter and this year it just seemed to be very wet. The street kid was crouched under an underpass with a ball of fire warming him up. He knew he needed to go out soon to find some food but he was unwilling to exit and face the sheets of rain that fell. He looked hesitantly out before pulling his jacket around him and dark cap. It was the winters he hated the most about his life on the street. The rest of the year he was able to deal but the winters they were horrible. But he would survive; he always survived. He let the fire fizzle out and exited. Raven ventured out to meet up with some of mobsters he was aware of. He didn't like them but when stealing was hard like on days when no one much ventured out if they had a choice he chose to go to them instead of starving. He knew the risks of being picked up by the police were much greater then.

He met with the man called Morpheus in his den of thieves. Raven was used to them so completely ignored them even when they scowled threateningly stroking their knives, daggers, or guns threateningly or just rubbing their fists together. Raven just rolled his eyes despite the feeling of unease in his stomach. But he had long since figured out that the best way to beat these crooks was to show no fear. This was originally a warehouse that Morpheus had somehow acquired for his "business". There were many theories on how he had acquired the warehouse ranging from the ludicrous like he was secretly a vampire who had hypnotized the old owners into giving him the warehouse to the more sane such as money from his drug deals, blackmail and threats on the old owner(s)' person. Raven didn't much care as long as he got paid for his black market stolen items and his helping out with the man. Nobody ever expected a kid.

Morpheus wasn't a big man unlike his cronies. He was a small man of only about five foot. He was taller than Raven by a few feet. Nor was he a particularly big man. But for his small stature he had a lot of dense muscles earned from gang work and street fights. He was completely bald even though he looked to be just entering his thirties. But the most distinctive part were his eyes they were completely black not like most people with dark eyes which looked black but were in actual fact a very deep shade of brown like bistre or seal brown. But not Morpheus his eyes were completely black lacking all emotion set above his stubbly chin and in his grubby face. He wore a kaki vest and leather trousers showing off his muscles. He never seemed to wear a coat but as Raven had never seen him outside that wasn't much of a surprise. His brown boots were what Raven could do with instead of his raggedy trainers which his toes were peeking out of. He'd need to buy or steal more soon.

'Raven,' greeted Morpheus.

'Morpheus,' nodded Raven.

'What could I do you for?' Morpheus asked.

'Like you don't know,' snorted Raven coolly.

Morpheus took in the pinched features of the homeless kid and sharp icy intelligent green eyes. He liked the boy. He hoped that when he was older that the boy would become a full time gang member of his. He wasn't like the other thugs who relied on their strength more than anything. The kid was witty and used his intelligence, lying skills, speed, manipulation, and cunning to escape. Of course, growing up on the streets these were skills that the boy needed. There were rumours of course about a supernatural gift but he never believed them until he was faced with those startling green eyes but soon as he was gone he'd stop believing. He knew the boy didn't much like him and didn't approve of his "company" and would only help him out when there wasn't any rich pickings on the street. Looking at the pinched face and the way he had snuggled into his old, dark moth eaten coat with wet ends to his dark hair Morpheus could tell he was coming close to starving and that was the only reason he had come to meet him.

'Money,' Morpheus said.

Raven didn't say anything he didn't need to. Morpheus had known him for several years. At first he only came when someone else was coming. But as he relied less on others he needed to look after himself. And that meant getting money for food by himself. Morpheus knew that he didn't help Morpheus out because he enjoyed to. Or worse because the gangster thought Raven liked Morpheus. Personally he couldn't stand Morpheus. He understood being a criminal to feed. But he knew that even if it had started out that way Morpheus just enjoyed having the money. This is why Raven preferred to stay away from the selfish man. But he needed money if he were to survive the winter. Morpheus shivered and Raven smirked. He knew he scared the man. He scared a lot of people. He didn't know if it was the strange powers he was known to have possessed even if many didn't believe he did. Or whether it was how he lived either way a little bit of fear in those who could threaten him was rather healthy for his survival he thought. He could tell the man was selfish without needing to resort to his soul seeing ability showing him to be a hungry black-maroon.

'You know it doesn't come for nothing,' Morpheus nodded at a man by the door who left.

Raven snarled feral at the man, 'I'm no fucking newbie,' he sneered.

Morpheus shivered at the child who at times could be more animal than human. It was this kind of ruthlessness and determination and anger that scared him. He didn't know how long the boy had been on the streets but he knew it was long enough to make the boy forget any rules of civilisation he may have been taught. Like so many times before he wondered how the child had come to be on the street. He doubted it was because he was from a loving family. Why wasn't he in an orphanage? Then the man who had left came back in with a large brown package. Morpheus looked back at Raven who had shown no surprise at the proceedings. Well of course he didn't he'd been doing this for a while. His associate had walked up to them with the brown package and placed the package on the table. Raven didn't pick it up he knew better than to touch unknown objects from the gangsters there could be anything in them so he waited for Morpheus to say something.

But at the second when Morpheus was about to tell him where he was to deliver the package and precautions he should take – never what it was, and Raven found it was easier on his conscious as well as safer not to ask – a guard from the outside of the building ran hurriedly in looking stressed. Morpheus didn't seem happy about being interrupted. The tall skin headed twenty something year old in a slept in blue shirt which Raven saw had a dark stain on it which Raven knew all too well was blood. Raven had seen blood too many times in street fights, both from his own injuries and the injuries he had inflicted, and before hand when he spent most of his time beaten and bleeding. The blood, however, looked old so he hadn't got caught in a fight at this particular moment. He wore it over dark denims and boots and a long jacket. He looked panicked very unlike the way the other gangsters looked. The gangsters where staring at him incredulously while Raven frowned. The man was angry red but with dashes of light grey showing the fear that shone through. Something was wrong Raven knew. But nobody else had moved.

'Police,' stuttered the man.

Everyone froze and the some of the gangsters began moving away. Raven was about to run when the police armed with guns and batons dressed in their blue uniforms charged in. The gangsters were quickly rounded up after being split. One man who looked kindly caught sight of Raven and looked at him in surprise. But Raven had long since learnt that kindly looks from adults could be deceptive. After all, Vernon and Petunia had doted on Dudley with hugs and kisses and then turned around and beaten him unconscious. No better not to trust this man until he had found out more. Raven saw his associates being dragged out to the police cars. Raven decided it best to play scared; scared whimpering children were always misjudged and then he could knife them in the back. The man had an arm on his shoulder. Raven flinched and then thinking of his aunt and uncle's beating began crying. The man instinctively pulled the child closer to him. As Morpheus stood there handcuffed staring incredulously at the child he knew was not at all frightened. But apparently the police had bought his scared little boy act.

'Child, there child, it's alright,' comforted the man.

'What are you dong here?' a gruffer police man looked at the child.

'Hungry, so hungry,' Raven whimpered, 'More-pay-us,' Raven purposefully mispronounced the name, 'told me he'd give me food if I helped him. Did I do bad?' he asked looking up at the police man.

'Tell me you're not buying this?' shouted Morpheus outraged.

'Shut up you,' the gruffer police man glared.

Raven whimpered, 'don't hit me.'

'We wouldn't hit you,' reassured the police man.

'My aunt and uncle did. Then they left me I was so scared and I'm hungry so hungry,' sobbed Raven.

'Oh you brave little boy well you won't be going back there,' smiled the kind policeman.

'Really?' asked Raven sounding hopeful.

'Of course not,' smiled the kind policeman. 'What's your name?'

'My uncle calls me Freak and auntie calls me Boy. I don't like those names,' he looked up shyly.

'Well we'll give you a nice new name. Come on let's get him down to the station,' smiled the man.

'Are you going to arrest me?' asked the boy eyes going wide.

'Of course not we'll find you a nice children's home and then a nice family will become your family,' smiled the man.

Raven bit back a snort; not likely. He would never again let any adult have the power to hurt him again. When the policemen's backs were turned with the kinder one's hand on his back Raven turned to stare at Morpheus. Morpheus was gaping at him wide mouthed at how sweet and supposedly innocent the scary little urchin could be. Raven smirked at him and rolled his eyes at how naive the police were. All they saw was an innocent and scared little boy. Raven knew perfectly well that they needed someone to save he could see it in the way their soul colours shone with a protective green encased in a courage red. Oh there were differences the gruffer man's edges were harsher and kind man had an inner orange warmth and a liquid blue peace. He knew he couldn't escape them not now they knew him. They'd follow him. But he had no plans of staying in the orphanage. He'd heard stories about what happened at orphanages.

Soon Raven had ended up in Shirland Road Children's Home. When he looked around he got a little shiver almost as though he'd been here before there was something there that screamed at him familiarity. But he knew he'd never set one foot in any orphanage in his life. So why was it so familiar? Raven had shuddered before crossing the threshold. They had told him he wasn't going to prison but when he had looked up at the tall imposing grey walls he was sure that was exactly where he was going. They called it an orphanage but in reality it was little better than a prison. For a child who had lived a lot of his life out in the open being encased like this was a nightmare. Raven knew even before he had stepped foot inside he wouldn't be staying. The dark bricks on the inside reminded Raven of the subway station which he supposed wasn't too bad if he didn't have to put up with fucking adults who would never help him.

'So here you are Jim,' the lady had said.

The fucking bitch for reasons unknown to Raven had decided to call him "Jim" and she hadn't bothered to explain her reasons to him. Jim! How uninventive was that? Goldie had come up with something that reflected his dark mop of untameable hair which was always dirty and matted due to his life on the streets. But he stopped that thought. He preferred not to think of Goldie; it just hurt too much to think of his once friend who he'd lost because his freakiness. The bitch was obviously waiting for him to say something he just glared at her and watched her squirm under his ice cold gaze. He then smirked this was fun maybe he would put in a couple of swears and see what happened. He wanted to test the water to see what she would do and because one thing he was certain about was he was never going to change who he was for some bitch who knew nothing about real life; about the trials and suffering he had to endure. The woman sighed obviously uncomfortable with the new boy who had come to stay.

'Well your room is upstairs,' she said uncomfortably. 'You could bring your thin-'

'I don't have any fucking things, lady, so don't try to fuck with me,' snarled the street rat.

'Language,' reprimanded an appalled Marie Dawn.

Raven snorted, 'what's the fuck wrong with my language?'

'It's not very polite,' Marie tried.

'To fuck with that,' Raven snapped.

They had come to Raven's room. Raven entered slamming the door in his carers face and glowering at the door not missing the lady's muttering about being a rude, ungrateful, child. This was being back at the Dursleys all over again. And he hated it. He looked around the room; it had been a long time since he had been indoors. He looked around feeling decidedly claustrophobic. There was a large window which he only just came up to. He looked out across London, his city. He had no idea what to do. He knew the rules out there. He knew what it took to survive. As hard as it was out there it was his! This confused him. He didn't trust the people who he had been left in the care of. He didn't like all the rules of fucking society. He was a street rat once and always. And too fuck if he was staying here. The room was a sickening cheery yellow with a bed in middle of pale blue.

He looked out the window again pushing against it testing to see if it would open far enough to clamber out. And too his utter surprise it swung wide open; he hadn't expected it to be that easy. Maybe for once in his god forsaken life he would have what he wanted. But it couldn't be that easy what if it were impossible to scale. He looked down and was glad to see that once again he was in luck; there was a good bit of roof below him covering the entrance hall to the children's home. He climbed out the window and carefully scaled his way down using the black, sturdy, old, drainage pipe as support. As he walked went past several of the other orphans looked up at him yelling in fright. Raven rolled his eyes at their childishness surely they had learnt something of the world if they were alone in the world too. But mostly he just ignored them in favour of getting down onto the soft wet muddy grass that made up the gardens of the home and he ran off into the distance in search of food or work. At peace with knowing he was where he belonged back on the streets being a typical street rat.


	8. Spotting the Dursleys

Spotting the Dursleys

A few years on from Raven's first fight in a dark alley one night the child called Raven was well known on the streets of London. He was a thief to some when the necessity of food drove him to it. He could beg but he preferred to go about it his own way; he had been accused many a time of being too prideful for a homeless child, and quite rightly so. And a killer to others if they tried to hurt him he'd hurt them right back. A role model to the younger population of street kids who were scared and alone but he showed them that they could survive well. The police were after him for questioning suspecting him in many cases but they could never find the child he was too good at hiding and they had no DNA to match him up with plus as he didn't legally exist on any records it was almost too easy to blend into the background. The citizens of London had heard him but thought he was little more than an urban legend considering how his opponents would fall at a mere look from him. Few knew that he really existed and even fewer would guess that this child was in fact only ten years old – eleven in a month – barely more than eleven. Not that Raven cared much for birthdays; never had, never would! Birthdays were just another day of the year which he had to survive for Raven.

It was the twenty third of June and he was wondering around hands in his deep pockets. He was looking for some breakfast in the centre of town. He was hanging around Reagent's Park in the summer people often went for picnics leaving stray bits of food around. Raven couldn't believe how wasteful people could be. It made him sick to the stomach. Here he was living on the streets practically starving while other people had so much that they took it for granted leaving food behind for the birds and unknown to them a homeless child. He looked around the lush grass shining in the morning sunshine. There was a cricket team playing on a field. Raven had no time for such idle nonsense. There was more to life than _games _he sneered at the thought. In Raven's short life there had never been any time for fun. He felt a bit of envy eat at his gut but he shook it off. There was no point in wishing for a different life. There was only what was. Wishes didn't help survival. And Raven was all about survival.

Raven had been on the streets for more than half his life. Though, he was still short for his age probably a mix of the neglect he'd suffered at a young age and his life of poverty on the street which had lead to malnutrition and his small size. Not that Raven would be able to explain it like that. He had potential but with nowhere to learn his intelligence was untapped. But despite his small stature he seemed to look older for his age. Part of it was that his ice cold gem-like eyes spoke of a lack of innocence and darkness that did not become his ten years. Then there was the fact that while most ten year olds had quite a deal of rounded puppy fat his life had taken that away so he was too skinny and the amount of street fights he had gotten into meant that he had muscles underneath his clothes. He carried his kaki backpack as always carrying the few possessions he owned. He was wearing his long black coat again over torn dark jeans. It wasn't raining at the present but looking up at the dark purple sky Raven knew that it wouldn't be long now. Raven knew the signs that indicated weather patterns; this was key for surviving all weathers.

He watched as a silver Vauxhall trundled past obviously heading for the Zoo. Raven spotted the people in the car. In the driver seat sat a large man with greying hair in a beige coat. Raven couldn't help the shudder that racked his body just then as he recognized as if from a nightmare the man. He hadn't seen the man for five years to the day. But he'd never forget that son of a bitch. Not now not ever. Not if he somehow, miraculously, survived to old age. Beside him sat a blonde, prune faced woman with an astonishingly long neck wearing a tartan jacket which Raven thought would be very warm come the winter. He scowled he knew plenty of people, himself included, who needed a jacket like that more than that fucking, abusive, short sighted, abandoning bitch. In the back was a fat blonde haired pig of a boy wearing a tight red jumper with a sneer on his face. Raven didn't think his cousin had changed all that much from when the Dursleys housed him. Beside him was another boy who in contrast to Dudley was scrawny and looked quite rat faced he wore a dark green jumper.

Raven decided to follow them into the Zoo. He knew he should stay away but he couldn't help be curious. Plus he had questions for his so called family. And if they threatened him he could always pull one of his knives on the bastards. So when he got to the gates of the Zoo he looked around and saw a group of boys and a few girls in bright blue uniforms or jackets which Raven presumed to be covering their own uniform. Raven slipped into the group; his dark coat blending in even if it was a complete ruin compared to the loved and well cared for kids. Why was it for some people everything came so easy Raven thought bitterly. He was handed a packed lunch box which Raven looked in and saw had a couple of sandwiches, a piece of fruit (Raven rarely got fruit as it was expensive), a packet of crisps and a bottle of fruit juice (Raven mainly lived on water as it was cheapest). At least today wasn't a complete waste; he got to eat! The bald man in his crisp cream shirt with the weird scarf around his neck who was obviously in charge of the kids gave them a speech on the rules of the behaviour he expected from them when at the zoo which Raven promptly tuned out. It wasn't like he was staying with these kids.

Soon as they had entered the Zoo Raven disappeared deciding to start at the café. Knowing Dudley he wouldn't want to go walking around an entire zoo without having any sweeties. Dudley refused to even exit the Dursleys home without having anything to eat. Whilst Harry spent the whole time wishing he could exit the house. But wasn't able to until he was abandoned. He looked in on the café but couldn't see any of the Dursleys anywhere or Rat-Face as he had decided to call the other boy. But when he got outside he saw them just leaving the ice cream van with large chocolate ice creams. Raven had never had an ice cream ever. He looked around and wondered if this was what the Dursleys did after they had abandoned him. Then he decided he couldn't really care this zoo was full of stupid, immature kids who knew fuck all about the real hard world. But still he followed them. He needed the answers to the questions that had for too long dominated his life.

For a second Raven thought the Dursley family were watching themselves. But then he realised they were some sort of animals; monkeys. As his education was sadly lacking he was unclear as to what exactly they were. Only he knew that it was very big and fat and liked to stupidly scratch himself. In fact it much reminded him of Vernon. Especially, when a smaller creature came bounding up to it and it snarled at it causing the creature to runaway. Raven shivered feeling a certain sense of kinship with the creature. The creature was as hairy as Vernon's moustache and certainly had very sharp teeth which Raven felt he would not be averse to having if it meant he could use them against the attackers who were far too common on the streets. The streets were a very dangerous place at the night, especially if that's where you were growing up, with a lot of dangerous and immoral characters. But he could be counted amongst these unsavoury characters with his thieving, fighting and ferrying. But he had to in order to survive. It didn't help that he didn't truly understand his wrong doings never having had anyone to teach him the difference between right and wrong.

The Dursleys then had lunch in the Restaurant whilst Raven went eating the left over's of people who had finished their dinner. Raven didn't understand how people could be so wasteful as to leave food. He avoided the Dursleys as much as possible not wanting to confront them here. He wanted to confront them. But it would on his terms and only his terms. He refused to be placed in a position which would force Raven back with them or have Raven, once again, beaten and broken by his viscous uncle. He tensed when Dudley threw a tantrum over not having enough of his ice cream. Honestly on some days Raven was lucky if he got one meal a day especially in the winters. And here was this fatso who was complaining that he hadn't got enough _ice cream. _You couldn't survive on ice cream! He felt so angry that he clutched at one of his knives in his trouser pocket and forced himself to calm down. Letting your emotions get the better of you was certainly never an answer to anything. Gradually he calmed down but continued to glare at his cousin. There was one thing he was glad that he didn't look like _that! _Vernon might have called him a freak but he obviously hadn't looked too closely at his fatty son.

After lunch the Dursleys went to the Reptile house. It was strange Raven was sure he could hear hissing conversations behind the panes. But that was stupid they were animals. Then he remembered the fact that he could light fires with his mind. Maybe this was another one of the freaky things he could do. He could hear snakes! What was he? He approached one of the snakes which he could here. It was a giant green monster of a snake. Raven didn't know what it was. He knew the sign beside it would tell him what it was. But with the only education he had was what he could learn on the streets he wouldn't be able to recognize his own name. Never mind the weird squiggles on the cage. He jumped out of his way when Dudley and his friend came bounding over to it and tried to make it move. Raven rolled his eyes but when they weren't looking it winked at him. Raven smirked at the snake. He liked the snake but felt sorry that it was trapped. He would have hated to be trapped like that. Raven often thought of himself as a wild spirit others thought of Raven as a wild thing. Soon all three Dursleys and the other one were hammering on the window pane. Soon they got bored and moved out of the Reptile House.

'Goodbye,' Raven gave a quick hiss.

Raven's eyes widened when he realised that it had come out like a snake. He frowned and walked quickly after the Dursleys. He was glad they were so oblivious so didn't turn around to see their trampy nephew following after them. Raven heard the two boys complaining and begging to go to the play park. The Dursleys quickly gave in. Raven hadn't expected any more of them so the street kid followed the group of four back past the gorillas and big grey pigs with hairy faces that reminded Raven a lot of Vernon and his stupid moustache. Whilst passing a water fountain that Dudley insisted on making a wish into. Petunia pursed her lips not very happy with the idea of wishes to her it was to close to magic but she didn't want to say know to her only child so let him. Raven rolled his eyes; there was no such thing as wishes! If there were then his parents would have came back and picked him up before he'd turned four.

They ended up at the play park where the boys ended up on a Merry-Go-Round. Raven couldn't see the point of it. Spinning round and round until you were sick then leaving, staggering as though drunk back to their mummies and daddies. But deep down Raven was jealous. He hated the fact that all these other kids got to have fun whilst he barely kept himself from starving. And even then it was only from his illegal activities. He watched as Dudley on a bright gold pony with a purple saddle and his friend on a blue one with a red saddle giggle madly away as if there was nothing more to life. Why hadn't they loved him like that? Of course he didn't want to be a fat oaf. But he wished someone; somewhere had given him a hug. But his parents had left him on a doorstep – as Petunia had told him repeatedly – to be brought up by those abusive bastards. And that fucking couple had left him on the streets of London to die. Raven sat down on the bench beside them.

'Hello Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia,' he greeted politely with an undertone of danger.

Vernon and Petunia both swung around to see the ten year old boy, their nephew, sitting calmly beside them as though he hadn't just met up with his abusive family after six years apart. The couple had been too busy watching their son squeal happily on the merry go round to see their nephew slouch over and sit down beside them. Petunia saw the boy still had her sister's green eyes which everyone had always adored. She may have been the older one but Lily was the beautiful, smart, kind and special child. Her parents may have said they loved them both the same but Petunia knew that Lily always had something she never did. But unlike Lily's eyes which shone with happiness, love and compassion she saw that those green eyes were like shard of green ice. She wondered if she had caused this to happen to the boy. But then she shook her head; he was nothing but a freak! They had been right all those years ago to leave him. She took in his straggly, matted, long dark hair which looked like it hadn't been touched since they'd left him. He wore a worn out old coat and faded torn dark jeans. He was far too skinny as though he didn't have regular meals. His pale face was covered in grime (whoever had looked after him obviously knew not a thing about hygiene) and emotionless whatever was going on inside his head she wasn't going to know it. She wondered where he had lived for these intervening six years. Not that she cared, of course.

Vernon for his part was shocked, scared and angry that their freak of a nephew had somehow tracked them down. He probably used his freakiness to find them. Ignoring the fact that they returned to the city they'd left him in; not far from the place he'd been abandoned. He took in the boy's look. He looked like some sort of bum. He probably didn't have a penny to his name living in some shabby run down orphanage probably beaten too. But those green glaciers that were peering at him out of a child's head made him squirm. But Vernon refused to be cowed by a mere child! If he had learnt anything from when the child lived with him he knew that the one way to deal with that… that… that abomination was to beat the fear of god into him. But looking as he edged closer towards him the child took a shiny silver knife out of his pocket. It looked even shinier in his grubby little hands. Vernon stopped the way the boy held the knife it was clear he was no novice in weaponry. He looked around but nobody had noticed. Petunia had clasped his hand. The couple seemed unable to look away from the sharp, shiny, dangerous knife.

'Vernon,' squeaked Petunia.

'Having a nice day out?' asked Raven still with the pretence of being a nice little boy.

'Lovely,' panted out Vernon.

'Why?' asked Raven. 'What had I ever done to you?' putting his knife back away but keeping his hand in his pocket making it quite clear that he could draw it again should the need arise.

'Your freakiness was always a burden on our normal ways,' Vernon said.

'You mean that I can do this?' asked Raven sweetly bringing fire balls to rest on their hearts. 'I could kill you in an instant,' he stated coolly not threatening just stating.

Vernon and Petunia gulped looking into those icy green eyes they couldn't doubt the boy's words. Vernon was sure that the boy had done so before. He'd always been such a scared little child why was he so hard now. Why had the boy had to survive? He had originally hoped that the boy would die of starvation or his beatings. Vernon could never quite bring himself to fully kill the child but he had hoped that complications would arise. And when at the age of five they had driven off leaving a crying child he was sure the boy wouldn't last more than a few days on the streets. But no that freak just had to survive and find them. He was probably stalking them right now. The good and normal people of Surrey; he had no right to exist! Abominations like that were made to be destroyed! It was for the good of the world that he had wanted to see the boy die. And it wasn't his fault he had too good a heart to do it himself. If only he wasn't so weak!

'We were trying to help you,' squeaked up Petunia.

'Help?' laughed Raven harshly he couldn't believe the nerve of some people.

'Beat the freakiness out of you. But I realised when you were five the rot had already set in,' Petunia babbled.

'You still think I'm a freak?' Raven sounded amused, 'you obviously haven't seen your fatso of a son!'

'You leave our son out of this,' snarled Vernon.

At one look from Raven's sharp green eyes the big beefy man's temper quailed. Vernon Dursley couldn't believe this arrogant little twerp scared him so much. He was just a boy surely. He then took out his knife once again and pulling his Uncle Vernon into a sick mockery of a hug. If anyone looked around all they'd see was a boy hugging a man who he obviously knew. It was only if you looked closer and inspected the look of complete and utter terror on the man and his wife's face and feral look of anger and revenge on the preteen's face that you would realise this was no hug. Raven had the knife directly aimed at the fat man's throat and a drop of blood was beginning to form from that. Vernon whimpered petrified he'd never been so terrified in his life. This was why freaks shouldn't be allowed to exist. They were sick monsters who took delight in normal folk's pain. Raven wanted his uncle to know exactly how he had felt every day since as long as he could remember to when they had abandoned him. The fear and the pain that lived with him day in day out.

'Scared?' he sneered into Vernon's ears.

'Yes,' whimpered the big man.

'Now you know exactly what I felt every day of my pathetic fucking existence in your cupboard,' he snarled in his ears.

'Give me one reason that I shouldn't kill you now?' he demanded.


	9. The Letter

The Letter

There was a very tense and uneasy silence between the three relatives locked in their positions filled with fear from the Dursleys and anger from the last Potter. The little street rat continued to threaten the large, usually purple faced beefy man while everyone else in the park was completely ignorant to the dangerous drama unfolding on a park bench. Vernon's skin was the colour and texture of the bad porridge that had made Raven sick a few weeks back. Petunia was pale as snow looking quite sick and glancing between her scary, violent, almost feral nephew and her poor, dear husband who had picked the wrong child to abuse and abandon. She then remembered the letter that had almost given her a heart attack when she realised it had come that morning. She had found it lying outside Privet Drive on the front porch step when she, her husband and the boys were leaving for the zoo. She had picked the offending item up, spotting it on the way out and pocketed it not planning for anyone (not even her husband to know it had ever been there). Petunia had been planning on burning it on the stove once they got home as she didn't want anyone knowing that Harry Potter had ever lived there or in fact anyone called Harry Potter existed. If the freaks ever bothered to call and check up on their own she would tell them he'd been left at an orphanage. But now she hoped she could use it for bargaining with her nephew for her wonderful husband's life that was only in danger because of her relation to _that _world. Reaching into her tartan coat she took out an envelope made of rough, yellowing parchment with dark emerald green writing on it the same shade as the boy's eyes which were burning holes into the back of her neck. The saying if looks could kill had never been more accurate where that freak was concerned. Piers and Dudley were still squealing happily on the merry go round not knowing or caring what the elder Dursleys were up to. Petunia hoped she had more time to tell her son how much she loved him. Or, if the orphaned Potter brat would murder her and Vernon and leave both cousins orphans. She knew that he'd have a better life than Potter as Marge doted on her nephew.

'This,' Petunia looked imploringly at the child begging him not to kill her but not sure what to say. What would sett eh child off?

'Why should I want a fucking letter,' snarled Raven not adding the fact that he couldn't read one letter of the letter. He didn't want any comments on his illiteracy.

'It's for you,' Petunia said desperately hoping he would take it. 'About your,' here she hesitated and glanced around not used to admitting something as abnormal as _his _kind existed in the world.

'No one's lookin',' Raven hissed dangerously he didn't want anyone to know of the threat. He was very good at remaining unobserved it was a good survival technique in his life.

'Magic,' she whispered saying the word for the first time since a teenager and Lily had to get into Hogwarts yet she never go that chance.

'Why should I believe you?' snorted Raven but something strange was bubbling in his stomach. Hope; maybe he would finally understand why he could do things like this!

'Because it's my husband's life in jeopardy,' Petunia said quietly looking at the child desperate.

Raven looked between the two adults; his abusers; the ones that had tormented him from the day he stepped foot in their home; the ones he'd worked desperately for their love never to get any; the husband and the wife and the letter. No he couldn't read the wording but he could read people and he knew she was being honest. Raven knew people who could read and would tell him what the damn letter said. He let the pathetic man go kicking him off the bench and landing him in a large muddy puddle. Why he'd ever been scared of man like Vernon Dursley he never knew! Vernon would later be furious at his suit being ruined but he was for the moment just glad to be let off with little more than a cut from his wild nephew. Raven leapt to his aunt who cried out in surprise and grabbed the letter before darting off into the distance before the others could so much as turn around to see what was wrong with the woman. He knew that his little jaunt into the zoo would soon be recognized and knew he had to get out there soon. Petunia then turned to her husband and helped his quivering mass of blubber up. Vernon put a hanky to his neck breathing heavily still reeling from meeting his nephew again. He hoped that he never saw the raggedy boy again. And almost being killed by that same nephew! Just then the ride finished and two seriously giddy eleven year olds, grinning and giggling came towards them. There grins the complete opposite to the adult's looks of terror. Petunia decided to get them all another ice cream which the boys whooped at. But she rather fancied Vernon wouldn't be right again until he had a good brandy in him which he got as soon as he got home. Not that she was faring much better but at least Lily's brat hadn't threatened her. Where on earth did a ten year old get a knife from? And again she wondered where the child had grown up. Because he obviously wasn't cared for but she quickly put that out of her mind and began fussing with Dudley.

Raven had exited the zoo easily and without any hold ups. Maybe his aunt and uncle hadn't told anyone about him being there. He'd trailed along after a young brunette mother and her blonde, blue eyed baby daughter in her pink stroller looking like he was with them but was just tired kid but didn't really want to leave so was dragging his feet whilst the mother was too busy with her yelling daughter to notice him. So nobody questioned, or even noticed, that a ten year old was on his own. That was the thing about human beings they saw what they wanted to see. They wanted to see that a child wasn't on his own so he wasn't, they didn't want to take any notice of the poverty so they looked the other way. But honestly couldn't they tell in comparison with the daughter's crisp baby blankets and the woman's neatly ironed slate grey trousers that he was pretty out of sorts with his faded black trousers and grubby hands. Raven, who'd had a rather big lunch with the masses of leftovers at the cafe, well for any street child who was used to getting by on little, didn't feel any need to eat the stolen pack lunch just now. So he decided to find someone who he could trust, well as much as Raven trusted anyone, to help him with reading the letter his aunt had given him. He really was too nosey at times.

Heading out to the docks where some of the older kids were able to get odd jobs and he knew that some of them could read. Soon he came across Jay. Raven didn't know what Jay was short for, his second name or even if Jay was his real name; you could never tell with street kids. Like he had been named Raven by Goldie. There would be some who didn't want to be tracked so changed the name. But he liked the older boy even if he had trust issues with everyone so wasn't about to trust the older boy. Jay greeted the younger boy like a younger brother who could seem like his senior in years too many times amiably as always. For a street kid Jay was surprisingly happy and un-bitter and un-resentful of the hard life he lived and he certainly was the most law abiding of the street kids. The older boy, almost a man now, always had a smile for everyone especially for the younger kids who lived on the streets (hell the young kids who didn't live on the streets). Raven knew more than one of the new kids who had only survived because of Jay's care. Jay was about sixteen now and had only been on the streets for little over a year. Maybe that was why he wasn't as hard and cold as many who had lived on the streets for years for most of their lives because he'd lived the majority of his life cared for until his parents had died in a bank robbery gone wrong. Raven didn't know where he'd lived after that or why he'd ended up on the streets. And he didn't ask. That was a taboo subject for street kids. The talk of how you ended up on the streets was a painful talk for anyone. Or maybe he hadn't been on the streets long enough, Raven also thought. But he personally hoped Jay would always stay like a ray of sunshine in his dark world. That was just Jay!

'Hey, Raven how's it hanging?' he smiled.

'Fine, er, look Jay could you read this to me,' he handed the older boy an envelope.

'Sure two secs,' Jay put down the pile of boxes he was carrying. 'Let's see "Mr. H. Potter,"' the older boy read out.

'So that was my name,' murmured Raven but he didn't consider it his name anymore it been too long.

'The Cupboard under the Stairs 4 Privet Drive Little Whinging Surrey,' continued Jay eyes widened.

'But I haven't lived there in fucking years,' protested Raven.

Jay's eyes darkened thinking of little Raven sleeping in a cupboard and flicked open the envelope drawing out the letter, 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,' he then stopped and beamed. 'That's what you can do with your little fire thing.'

'Yeah cool,' smirked Raven. 'All tremble at the great and powerful Raven,' he laughed bitterly. 'Don' sound too much of a wizard do I?'

'It would still be cool to learn,' Jay said and continued to read, 'Headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin,' he stopped. 'Don't tell me Merlin's real?' Jay shook his head. 'First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Cheif Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards.'

'He sounds political,' Raven grimaced he hated politicians always claiming to be trying to make the world a better place for all but leaving the street kids out in the cold.

'Dear Mr. Potter, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment,' Jay continued. 

'Well I'm no thieving any fucking books,' Raven declared. 'I rucking can' even fucking read,' Raven stormed.

'Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress,' Jay then found the next page. 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Uniform-'began Jay.

'Fuck that,' Raven cursed, 'I'm not fucking going to fucking dress like a fucking ponce.'

'You're going to be expelled before you even get there,' warned Jay but continued reading. 'First-year students will require: three sets of plain work robes (black), one plain pointed hat (black) for day wear, one pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar), one winter cloak (black, silver fastenings).'

'Fuck no I go to this fucking school like me or don',' snorted Raven.

'Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags. Course books-'began Jay.

'Don' bother I'm no getting any fucking books,' snorted Raven.

'Okay,' Jay rolled his eyes, 'other equipment.'

'There's fucking more,' Raven said exasperated.

'Yeah a wand,' Jay began.

'Wicked I'll nick meself one of those,' Raven grinned.

'A cauldron (pewter, standard size 2), a set glass or crystal phials, a telescope, a set of brass scales. Students may also bring an owl or a cat or a toad. Parents are reminded that first year students aren't allowed their own broomsticks,' finished Jay.

Raven snorted, 'I'd need fucking parents and I don' wan any of those shitie stuff.'

'Oh it says you can buy these in Diagon Alley on King's Street,' added Jay. 'You get there by going into the Leaky Cauldron Pub. Then he pulled out the last thing a ticket for Platform nine… for platform nine and three quarters.'

Raven was silent for a moment remembering what had happened when he was five. The others had thought he was making it up. But he remembered the strange platform with the disappearing people. And Raven recalled the red haired man who had disappeared when he got scared. These where wizards and witches Raven understood. Okay so he knew where the platform was and he knew where to get his wand from. Raven didn't really want to go to a fucking school full of fucking ponces. But he wanted to get the wand. But what would be the use of the wand if he didn't know how to use it. He'd go to the school. But he wasn't going to do homework or anything poncy like that. Still there'd be food which he could eat constantly. So Raven nodded his thanks to Jay and left to nick a wand. Wondering how many of the people he passed in the streets where undercover witches and wizards.


	10. The Wand

The Wand

Raven had found the Pub called the Leaky Cauldron easily enough. But to his surprise nobody else seemed to see it. Or maybe it was just nobody wanted to see it. It was an old and dingy place that looked like it had been burnt down several times before with peeling letter. Or, maybe it was magic that made you not want to see it, suggested a voice in Raven's mind. So Raven entered looking around. The pub didn't seem to be anything spectacular. Not that Raven knew much about pubs; pubs were expensive there was no way he could ever afford to dine out at there. And if he tried to go in to get warm for a little bit the employees and owners would take one look at him and shoo him out. Having a dirty, ratty, homeless kid loitering on your doorstep was really bad for business apparently. Nobody so much as looked at him. But he had no idea how to find his way into Diagon Alley. He needed to ask someone. Raven hated asking people for help. But ah well. He walked up to the bar where an old man with dark grey hair and dark eyes was serving.

'You're a bit young to be out on your own aren't you,' he said kindly.

Raven just snorted, 'jus' tell me how tae ge' intae the fucking Alley,' snapped the young wizard.

Tom had seen many strange people who came in and out of the Leaky Cauldron; hags and werewolves; ministers and businessmen; witches and wizards; authors and parents; everything and more. But this boy who he'd presumed was eight or nine yet seemed to be much older. He looked like he could do with a good scrub down and didn't seem to care what people thought of him. And the boy had really bad manners, the added as well. If Hannah started speaking like that she would certainly be punished. But then looking at the boy's mean stature he supposed he could do with some food. He hoped his Hannah who would be starting Hogwarts that year wouldn't get involved with such a little hoodlum. And he hoped when she got into boys she'd find someone who was not the typical bad boy even if girls could like that think at least according to his wife. He stood mouth agape for a second before pointing the boy in the right direction.

'That way,' he pointed, 'and you tap three up from the trash can and two across.'

Raven didn't reply but a nod. He didn't care if the man thought he was rude and uncouth. Raven was uncouth and rude and worse! He could feel the man's dark eyes on him and quickly exited the pub not liking being under the spot light. He had found it was better to remain in the background rather than the centre of intention he had learnt that at a very young age. It was useful for stealing and ferrying packages which he was sure had some sort of illegal package in. So the attention that the bartender had given him unnerved him especially as he was going thieving in this magical alley. He wondered if they had any magical way for thieves to be caught. He hoped not otherwise he'd be in shite. He found the trash cans that the barman had told him about. So he wasn't lying about that. But he still didn't trust the man. He may learn to just about trust people he knew. But they had to earn it. To trust an unknown man was completely beyond this street boy. Raven tapped the wall with his finger. Nothing happened straight away.

'Well that's fucking stupid,' he snarled.

Raven turned his back away from the wall. He had half a mind to storm in there and threaten the man with his knives to tell him where he could buy a bleeding wand. But then he felt a gust of wind on the back of his neck. Raven turned around and his mouth fell open. In the place of the old wall was an archway. He gingerly placed a foot forward not trusting enough to be sure that he would get there. But then he stepped out into the sunlight. He looked around amazed that there was this magical place right beside the everyday world. Outside one of the shops was a stack of various cauldrons in different metals; gold, silver, brass, steal and iron. Raven wasn't too amazed at them he'd never get any money from cauldrons. But the gold if he only knew how to melt it down. Another shop smelt worse than most drunken street rat whores he looked in and met with things that even Raven wouldn't eat. He didn't understand why people who had magic would need things like that. He heard the hooting of great birds that came from what seemed to be a pet store. Why anyone would waste money on an animal which was perfectly able to take care of itself but then turned its back on starving children Raven never understood he sneered at the animal a bit then left. There was a bunch of well dressed children surrounding a window.

'Look the new Nimbus Two Thousand - fastest ever,' they were saying excitedly.

Raven's curiosity got the better of him and he went over to see. To his surprise all he saw was a brush he left not looking very convinced at it. That was when he saw the huge snowy white building with gold letters. He stood mouth agape. He thought it was the most majestic building he had ever seen. And he couldn't help but be cowed at site. He was a street rat here. And he was scared, very scared, he wanted to learn about himself and magic but how can he an uneducated illiterate ever fit into this society which was so obviously well to do and wanted for little even the class list showed that they expected their pupils to have money. He shook off that worried thought. No that was wrong. He'd survived gangs, crooks, abuse, the streets, starvation and the cold and he'd bloody well survive this. He was Raven! Was this where wands were obtained from? He entered the building which seemed to be made up of marble halls and chandeliers where there were little creatures with long fingers and beady eyes. They seemed intelligent and dangerous. Raven could always tell things like this. They looked at him in disgust as his old, dirty, second hand clothes were just not right. Convinced that this wasn't right he quickly exited the building back into the fresh air of Diagon Alley.

Opposite the snowy white building was a building full of dresses. Raven didn't understand why there were men getting dresses in there. But decided not to question it as he walked past; the Wizarding world was just plain strange. He didn't want any of the clothes. As long as he had enough clothes to keep him warm that was fine. He supposed they must keep you warm in the winter though. There was an ice cream parlour outside as well which was all well and fine if you had some one to buy you treats like ice creams. He glowered enviously at the children who seemed to be all his age and younger. You were never that innocent on the streets. The mothers warned their children away from the dangerous looking boy who glared at their precious children with cold green eyes. Then there was a big shop of books and parchment and quills which Raven knew he'd never be able to go anywhere near giving the fact that he couldn't read even his name. Then he got to a shop which seemed more his calibre it seemed to musky and old with gold peeling letters on top of the door. And in the window was what Harry wanted most; a wand!

He quietly entered the shop careful not to make even the tiniest amount of noise that might alert the owner to his presence. He was glad and surprised to see that at the present nobody else was about. So he looked for what he wanted; a wand. There were piles and piles of small, rectangular boxes and an eerie sense of power tingling his core. For some reason he was draw to one little box in the corner which looked like it hadn't been opened in a few decades. He opened the little rectangular box and on a plush red cushion wrapped in purple silk wrapping was a dark piece of wood that seemed so perfect in every way and looked tremendously expensive. Raven picked it up and waved it about looking about worried that someone would see out of the end of the wand shot a few silver sparks. The street kid smiled and taking the wand and placing it in his coat pocket. Then Raven replacing the box where he had found it so it would be many years before Garrick Ollivander ever found out he'd been stolen for and left the shop. He knew that no one would see what he had done; nobody ever saw what he did. He knew it because he had stolen so many times it had become second nature to him. He had been thieving since he was four years old, after all.

The next day he was sitting twiddling his wand idly whilst eating the sandwich he had taken from the Zoo the day before when Jay came and sat beside him. Nobody said anything for a while even though Jay was the only one who knew Raven's secret. And this worried Raven. Raven didn't like _anyone _knowing anything about him. And the older boy knew his real names (that as of the day before Raven himself hadn't even known), where he had lived _before, _and where he was going. That was if Raven in the end even decided to go to _school _in the fall. Raven was many things educated and well mannered enough for a posh boarding school was not one. Raven looked mournfully into the river Thames whilst Jay hummed a tune that Raven had never heard of. But there again he only knew a few songs that he'd heard pounding out of pubs and clubs and in malls. He looked warily at the older boy as they sat on a wall. Their eyes met suspicious green ones to warm and caring hazel ones.

'So a wizard huh,' Jay opened the conversation realising the younger boy wasn't.

'What's it tae yeh?' snapped Raven.

'I think it's pretty cool that's all,' shrugged Jay. 'Wish I was a wizard,' he admitted.

'I won' fit in yeh wid but nae me,' shrugged Raven.

'What makes you say that?' asked Jay.

'Lik a' me,' retorted Raven. 'I wen' dere an' stole a wan',' he gestured to the stick he was playing with.

Jay frowned he hated what many of his fellow street kids had done to survive. He knew they had deemed it necessary for them. And the younger kids couldn't work like he could. But did they have to be so casual about stealing. Then he remembered how Raven had lived in a cupboard beforehand. He didn't know much about the younger boy's life but what he did know was bad. The boy had lived in a cupboard, had many scars on his person from the few times Jay had seen him changing and had somehow ended up in the streets. Jay somehow didn't think he was going to be learning any lessons off his parents… was it his parents? Could any mother or father really hurt their child like they had Raven? He'd heard stories before but they were just stories before his own parents had died before he'd ended up here with a Potter child. But he knew the boy wouldn't tell him as much as he'd like to know. His parents had always taught him morals and the way Raven lived was anything but the way his parents had encouraged him to live. But it seemed Raven had no one to teach him his morals. That was why he encouraged Raven to go to Hogwarts to live, to learn and for once in his life to be happy; to be simple a child!

'Well don't let it go to waste,' suggested Jay.

'I can' fuckin' do t'is I won' fuckin' fit in no' like you cid,' Raven shook his head.

Raven ignored Raven's swears with a frown that boy had such a potty mouth if it were him his parent would have washed his mouth out a dozen times already. Raven just seemed to swear with every second word. He liked the kid don't get him wrong. He could be funny as hell sometimes. But he was also very harsh and cold and if he felt that you were being a git, or a whiner, or an idiot, or pathetic or anything that Raven disapproved of you'd sure as hell know about it. Jay had never met anyone like Raven until he'd ended up on the streets a year ago accidentally and almost right away had literally run into Raven who had obviously been in a fight dragging with him a broken ankle and bloody arm as well as several knives which were covered in blood. Jay had never asked what had happened to his opponents. To be honest he didn't want to know. When Raven went to Hogwarts he'd miss him but maybe that would be his job done and he'd get to go back home. He knew his parents would still be dead but at least he'd know the boy would be safe and he'd know the rules that his society had. And he knew Raven would fit right in with the other kids at Hogwarts everyone felt that way at the beginning. He felt kind of honoured Raven was talking to him about it he got the feeling Raven didn't talk to many about things like this.

'Yes you can Raven! Yes you can! You're strong! At least give it a go and if you don't like it you can always come back,' suggested Jay.

Raven considered it. If for nothing else he'd get food. He wondered why he was telling Jay all these things. Ever since the moment he'd met Jay after that awful fight with Guy's boys. They'd literally ran into each other. Jay looked slightly panicked and out of place. Raven had laughed at him because he was wearing a red dress thing and then for reasons unknown to him helped him find clothes more suited to a homeless boy. Jay had said in that moment his parents were dead and something about masked men. Raven had understood that to mean that they'd been killed in a robbery. The two boys had never spoken of his parents' deaths again. Raven had a feeling the other boy didn't want to and he didn't force it. But Saint Jay as he was often known around here had a point and always offered good advice and had a wicked sense of humour. He often had practical jokes set up for passers by and made money on the streets not by stealing but performing. Raven thought he was the closest thing to a friend he'd had since Goldie and that scared him, a lot! He knew how easily trusts could be broken.

'Okay I'll give fucking _school_,' he sneered the word, 'a fucking try.'

Jay beamed his goofy smile at the boy.

**So Harry now has a wand and in a few months is going to be off to Hogwarts. What will people make of him? And what will he make of them? Please review I'm going to have a meeting with the twins next time.**


	11. The Twins

The Twins

The months passed since Raven had found out he was a wizard and Jay had convinced him to go to the boarding school. Raven preferred not to think of it too much it gave him a strange gnawing, twisting sensation in his gut. As the weather went from thundery in June then a cold, wet start to July which had all the street kids shivering and trying to keep undercover and earn food at the same time. Raven found he had to ferry mysterious packages for Laiken (nobody knew his first name) who had taken over from Morpheus. Laiken was originally from Glasgow but after angering someone worse than even him he'd left for London. Then as it warmed up and became hot and dry with a day of storms towards the end of the month. Then there was a wonderful warm and dry month in August allowing the street kids to take off their near permanent coats in the day. This warm morning Raven who had his coat in his bag was wearing old scruffy black t-shirt and was looking around for some food when Jay came bouncing up to him looking like someone had wound a spring and let it go. Raven just looked at the hyper sixteen year old for a second before the older boy calmed down smiling sheepishly. Raven presumed this meant he was ready to tell Raven what ever had him so excited. He was certainly a weird street kid. Raven didn't think he'd fully accepted the fact that he was a home kid.

'You know you're not much of a street kid,' Raven said amused.

'Do you know what day it is?' demanded the older boy.

'A warm summer day,' Raven rolled his eyes.

'September the first,' grinned Jay, 'your starting school.'

Raven groaned, 'oh no.'

'Come on I'll walk you to the station,' Jay took dragged the younger boy before he could chicken out.

At Raven's response Jay wondered if the kid would be in Gryffindor the House of the Brave. He was a Potter after all and all Potters since well ever. Actually Godric Gryffindor's only daughter, Galina Gryffindor, had married into the Potter family via Emery Potter. But Raven's life had caused some very Slytherin, Jay scowled, traits to come out. And it wasn't like was unheard of for a family of one house to have a child of a completely different house. But he kept his thoughts to himself he didn't know how to tell Raven just yet the truth about his past which was so many years ago now, technically. Raven seemed very tense and when they were attacked around the corner he snarled and threw himself on the teenager with a knife. The two circled each other snarling feral again. Jay shivered as Raven plunged a knife into the teen's stomach and walked off. Jay couldn't help but stare at the body as Raven just wiped the blood off on his shirt. After that Raven seemed a lot calmer; it seemed he'd taken the stress out on the teenager.

'Yeh'll git used tae it. Yeh'll have tae i' yeh wanna suviv' out here,' Raven said suddenly.

'It's just,' he hesitated. 'Doesn't it bother you?'

Raven shrugged, 'I bin on da streets since I wiz fir I don' noe any diffren',' Raven shrugged.

Jay nodded and the two boys were soon in King's Cross it had changed since the last time he'd been here. But then again that wasn't exactly yesterday. Jay was worried that Raven wouldn't know where the Platform was and that would be awkaward explaining how he seemingly a Muggle knew where a wizard platform was. But apparently he wasn't the only one with secrets because the last Potter evidently knew exactly where it was because he was walking purposefully to platforms nine and ten. Jay decided he wouldn't go through with the boy. It wouldn't do to have anybody recognize him. They fell in behind a red haired family that Jay was sure was the Weasleys, or maybe the Prewetts until he recognized the mother. She'd changed a lot since the last time he'd saw her but she was definitely Molly Weasley. He pulled Raven aside before he could run into the Weasley matriarch that would be complicated in a half. He knew Raven wouldn't appreciate a hug so he just smiled happily at the preteen hoping he'd fall in with the Weasleys. They'd look after him.

'Good luck,' grinned Jay.

'I'm gonna need it,' Raven muttered mutinously.

Jay just rolled his eyes and left the younger boy to it. Raven entered after the familiar red haired family that he remembered from when he'd last been here at the tender age of five. He'd only been on the streets for less than three months. And now he had been on the streets more than six years and now he was leaving it. Raven shuddered. He wasn't ashamed to admit he was afraid of the unknown that would be waiting for him at the other side of the platform – well not in the sanctuary of his own head at least. The red haired family passed through. He wondered where the father and older two boys were since they weren't with the majority of the family. After he was through he found an empty carriage and looked around whilst everyone else had trunks of things Raven had nought but a rucksack, a jacket and whatever else was in his pockets. He swung his bag up just as a couple of the red heads came up to see him; the twins. Their older glasses wearing brother was glaring at them warningly.

'Hey travelling light I see,' one started.

'Wish mum and dad,' another continued.

'Would let us,' the other continued.

'Do that,' the first continued and then they both grinned a very Jay like grin.

'How'd yeh fucking talk like that?' grumbled Raven quietly impressed with them.

'Don't let mum,' began the first.

'Hear you talking,' the second added.

'Like that,' the other continued.

'She'll wash your mouth out,' added the second.

'With soap,' added the first.

'Though looking at you,' the second one inspected the boy's grubby face.

'You could certainly,' the first one continued.

'Do with,' the second one added.

'A bit of,' added the first.

'Soap,' completed the second.

'Gee thanks,' grumbled Raven trying not to show that he found them funny, 'if your finished insulting me,' he turned to leave.

'What's your name?' asked Fred suddenly.

'Raven,' shrugged Raven.

'Cool,' they said together. 'We're,' one the first one indicated to himself, 'Fred,' and said his name, 'and George,' the other one said.

'Do you fucking have to fucking talk like that your making my fucking head hurt,' grumbled Raven.

'Oh someone got up on the wrong side of the bed,' laughed George.

Raven winced not wanting to say wrong side of the pavement as he didn't particularly want the teenagers to know he was homeless. They may not have had the best clothes compared to some of the other families but they dressed decently. And the twins looked like they could afford to wash unlike homeless Raven. That was when their mother came to see what the twins were up to. She inspected the preteen taking out a handkerchief and furiously scrubbing at the stubborn dirt. Raven didn't like this. And he knew that she'd never be able to scrub a lifetime of dirt off him. Because even before he had lived on the streets when he lived with the Dursleys he would only ever got cleaned when Aunt Petunia was sick of him stinking the house up as she liked to put it. And then she took him out the back garden and hosed him down like a dog in the dead of night first checking none of the neighbours were awake. She was so paranoid about letting people know she housed what a freak. Suddenly she stopped and gasped so did the other red heads all gaping at his forehead. Okay he knew that he had a pretty manky scar but still no one on the streets cared. Mainly because everyone on the streets had scars from gang fights, abuse of one kind of the other and usual wear and tear you got from living on the streets. But these people were gazing up at his scare in absolute awe.

'Harry Potter,' squeaked the little girl in surprise.

'What's it tae yeh,' snapped Raven.

'You told us,' Fred began.

'That you were called,' George continued.

'Raven,' the two finished together.

'That's what people call me,' retorted Raven.

'It's just his nickname,' the oldest red head boy spoke up, 'hello my name is Percy Weasley it's very nice to meet you.'

Raven stared at the boy. Was he for real? Did people really talk like that? What a fucking ponce. To further this impression on the street kid he held out his hand; without spitting on it. Raven stared at it and unlike the time he first met Goldie he knew exactly what to do with it. Raven just rolled his eyes and shook his hand. When some of the dirt and grime and blood and whatever else Raven had managed to pick up over the year rubbed off on Percy's hand. Percy grimaced and tried to indiscreetly wipe his hand on a white hanky. But it seemed that Percy Weasley didn't know the meaning of indiscrete. Raven smirked at the glasses wearing ponce and the red haired boy blushed as the twins laughed and the little red haired girl giggled whilst the youngest red headed boy who seemed almost as tall as Fred and George smirked without malice unlike Raven. The mother began to once again dust Raven down again.

'What have you been doing to get into such a mess, honestly boys? Ron's the same just look at his nose,' the woman shook her head.

As he knew the first three red headed boys' names as Percy, Fred and George, Ron evidently was the youngest one and glared at his mother for what he perceived as an insult. Raven didn't find anything insulting about being called mucky after all he was a street kid he'd always been grubby. The twins once again smirked obviously finding their brother's discomfort hilarious. Raven thought that he had a similar sense of humour to the twins and liked them. Ron he wasn't too sure about seemed too sensitive and Percy was a ponce. Ginny he had no idea about. Ginny giggled too; well she couldn't be too bad she had a sense of humour at least. Raven let the matter drop not feeling like explaining his home situation or lack thereof to this group of well cared for children and over protective woman. Evidently the woman didn't expect any answer as she just continued to attempt to dust Raven down with the hanky much to Raven's growing annoyance. He could feel the temper that had been born due to his life on the streets growing. Well that's where he presumed he'd got it because everyone on the streets had pretty foul tempers. Well except from Jay but that was just Jay. Raven had no idea how he'd survived as long as he had. Raven knew it was only a matter of seconds before he lashed out at something or someone namely the interfering woman. And did something incredibly stupid, for example, stab the annoying woman in full view of everyone. Couldn't she tell that he didn't like this? She wasn't his mother! She had no right to do this! He hadn't let another adult this near since his abusive relatives abandoned him. And he certainly didn't want another maternal figure after his mother had been an abandoning bitch who hadn't bothered to check she was okay at his aunt and uncles! Or even if he was still there! Finally having enough he wrenched himself out of the woman's ministrations feeling cleaner than he'd ever felt and that wasn't a sensation he particularly liked. Muck acted as a good sun scream.

'For fuck's sake woman can' yeh see I'm hippy da way I am,' he snarled and flung himself into his carriage.

He saw Percy's reproving look and knew that was someone to watch out for. He saw Ron's look of shock and disbelief. He saw the twins look of adoration and knew he had earned himself some allies. He refused to call them friends. He wouldn't let himself trust people that could get hurt only too easily. Caring about people put too much power in someone else hands. He knew deep down he did care about people like Jay and Lex but he refused to acknowledge it. Ginny had a soppy expression on his face that he'd seen some of the older girls wear for some of the older boys. Please don't tell Raven that a girl had a crush on him! He couldn't help but watch as Percy rushed off to get changed. The twins rushed off to meet their dreadlocked friend with a white box. Percy, Fred, George, their friend and Ron entered the train as it was leaving. Ginny and her mother waved them off with Ginny sobbing. Raven rolled his eyes what a whiney wimp honestly she'd see them again. It's not like they were dying or anything!

**Okay that's Raven's introduction to the twins. I like Ron but his self confidence issues and Raven's brashness were always going to clash in this fic so I don't think they'd be friends. And Mrs Weasley is too overbearing whilst Harry's very independent. Plus I just love Fred and George. Next up: Raven's going to learn the truth about his past, the heritage of the scar and meet Malfoy and Hermione. Please review.**


	12. The Truth

The Truth

Raven was sitting alone in the carriage on the plush read seat that he didn't think he'd ever sat on a seat so comfortable before. He was watching as the main metropolis of London city gave way to suburbs and fields dotted with villages. He'd never seen outside of London. He knew he had lived somewhere else but he was only allowed out in the dead of night when it was time for his "wash". And when he had been dumped in London he'd been driven in the boot of a car; not exactly ideal for observing things. It was very different to the world Raven knew. Then he heard the door open. Raven turned around sharply jumping up preparing to pull out a knife to threaten if they were unfriendly. Then he relaxed seeing it was the twins and their dreadlocked friend. The twins were grinning as always in their very Jay like way. Raven turned his attention to their friend who had his dark eyes on Raven's forehead obviously trying to see through his dark matted hair to the scar that lay beneath. Raven shot an icy glare at the red twins; typical they would tell their friend about him being a marred freak. It just proved it you couldn't trust anybody! He wasn't going to become a freak show at this school.

'Are you really Harry Potter?' the boy burst out suddenly.

Raven was thrown by the black kid's question this wasn't what he was expecting from the teenager. He frowned there it was again that look of adoration. But he didn't understand it, he couldn't understand it. Up to the age of four, almost five, he'd been treated worse than an animal hidden in a cupboard as a dirty secret of his aunt and uncle's. Let out to pee and wash in the dead of night. He was barely fed. Forced to work from dawn to dusk like a slave. Any food he had got was because he had stolen it. Then he'd been dumped on the streets. And he had found that most people looked down on the homeless in disgust like it was their fault they'd ended up on the street never understanding that nobody chose to be homeless. Or they just tried to avoid looking at them as though homelessness was catching. Or worse they were looked down with pity. Or they looked at them in fear. Although in Raven's case that was understandable he was pretty handy with a knife and to afford food and clothing he was pretty much a common criminal whether pickpocketing, thievery, ferrying illegal packages but at least he was no mugger. It reminded him too much of what had happened to him at the Dursleys.

'We told you Lee,' began Fred.

'He prefers Raven,' George added.

'T'anks guys,' Raven shook his head.

'No probs,' grinned George.

'Dae yeh tae ever nae grin like dat?' asked Raven.

'Nope,' laughed Lee. 'The name's Lee,' he held out a dark hand.

'Raven,' Raven shook the dark boy's hand, 'bit I guess t'anks tae these tae yeh already nae t'is,' he said.

'Your accent,' Lee shook his head.

'I cud sae da same,' retorted Raven.

'You certainly don't take no nonsense,' smirked Fred.

'Ne'er,' agreed Raven.

'So you're really Harry Potter?' he repeated.

'Wit's it tae yeh,' growled Raven.

'Well you're the Boy Who Lived,' Lee said excitedly.

'Well obviously I'm fucking alive,' Raven said nonplussed, 'so are yeh,' he pointed out.

'But your survived You Know Who,' Lee said.

'I don' noe who,' frowned Raven.

'Lord… Lord… Voldemort,' he shuddered the name.

'Didn't you Muggle family tell you about your parents' deaths?' asked George with a frown.

Raven was shocked at this titbit of information that George had given out freely. He wanted more; he wanted the truth. Raven had always been far too curious for his own good nothing that life on the streets or the Dursleys could beat out of him. He hadn't even known that his parents were in fact dead. All he'd ever been told was that they'd left and weren't coming back, ever. Why wasn't he surprised that the Dursleys had lied to him about that! Never mind that his mother and father's deaths were significant enough in the Wizarding world to know about the son. And what was this to do with his scar? His aunt and uncle had always hated it. Maybe they hadn't abandoned him at the Dursleys after all; maybe they had loved him. Maybe that meant he could possibly be loved by other people like others were. Maybe that meant it was okay for him to have friends like any other child. But he shook that thought out of his head not ready to deal with it. He wasn't going to trust even if his parents had loved him people still abandoned him. People still hurt each other and him. He realised the other three older boys were looking at him shocked that he didn't know whatever had happened to him as a baby. So he looked at the floor making him look younger than usual and wrapped his arms around his stomach.

'Aun' Petuna and Uncle Vernon don' li'e talkin' abou' me mam an' da an' I didn' wan upse' t'em,' he lied easily.

'Sorry,' the three boys chorused.

'Sae wha' happened?' he asked urgently.

'Well you see Lord well You Know Who,' Lee said.

'He was going around trying to kill all Muggles,' explained George with a grimace.

'Muggles?' asked Raven.

'Non magic folk,' explained Lee.

'So Voldemor',' Raven ignored their winces, 'wis goin' around killin' Muggles bu' he can' still be doin' sae,' frowned Raven surely he'd have heard about the deaths on the street unless it was limited to home dwellers.

'No well he was getting stronger by the day,' Fred explained.

'Anyone who fought against him ended up dead,' George added.

'Like our Uncles,' Fred and George shared a sad look.

'Anyway one day he turned up at your house and killed your mother, your father and then he tried to kill you but failed,' Lee took over his eyes going to his forehead.

'Dae scar,' Raven understood.

The four boys in the cabin were silent for a long moment. Raven was slightly in shock at what he had learnt about his past and his parents. So his parents weren't that bad after all if they were trying to save lives that gave Raven a heady feeling in his gut. And a guilt that he'd hated and blamed them for so many years. He had absolutely no idea what to say now that his whole ideology concerning parents had been shattered. The three other, older boys were obviously giving him space when the door to their cabin suddenly opened again. In entered a girl who was about Raven's size who looked familiar to him in a half forgotten kind of way. She had lots of bushy brown hair and large brown eyes which were definitely the nicest feature on her. That was when Raven realised who see was the girl from the park after the fire; when Raven had lost Goldie. She had the look of someone intelligent and carried a large book close to her chest. Raven was suddenly nervous. Would she remember him? Would she know he was homeless? Would she report him? What would happen to him then? Would he go back to the Dursleys? Or some orphanage? Or someone else who would hurt him? He forced himself to calm down and see what happened before making any plan on what to do next. And Fred and George's little brother was back. And another boy who was round faced and tearful he looked like he was about to burst out crying. Raven rolled his eyes at the sobbing boy. What did he have to cry about?

'Hey Ronnikins,' grinned Fred.

'Are you really Harry Potter?' shot out Ron ignoring his older brothers.

'Raven,' Raven narrowed his eyes.

'You don't look like much,' Ron said.

Harry snorted, 'ne'er dae yeh.'

The boy turned red, 'you sound like all my brothers that I've got to live up to I mean look at me we're poor as...'

'Oh quit wining,' Raven said angrily, 'ders people ou' der worse off dan yeh. Yeh noe where yer nex' meals comin' from a' leas',' Raven glared at the red head with such ferocity.

'Fine,' Ron stormed off.

'Ignore our git of a brother,' Fred shook his head.

'Sorry but have you see a toad at all he keeps getting away from me,' the teary boy explained.

'No,' the three boys shook their heads.

'Oh cum on boy he'll turn up. He's an animal he cam luk af'er himsel',' Raven shrugged.

'Well if you see him tell me. I'm going to continue searching, Hermione,' Neville left.

'That was mean,' the girl called Hermione spoke in a high pitched voice.

Raven just shrugged, 't'was true.'

'I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you,' Hermione spoke quickly.

'Lee Jordan,' Lee greeted.

'Fred,' Fred said.

'George,' greeted George.

'Raven,' shrugged Raven.

'Righ',' said Raven.

'You've got a very Cockney brawl,' Hermione said.

'I live in London,' retorted Raven.

'So do I,' Hermione said.

'No in da same part's,' Raven shrugged.

'Well I better help Neville with his toad,' shrugged Hermione.

'Honesly maybe he doesnae wanna be foun',' Raven sneered.

'Your very rude,' Hermione stalked off.

When the lunch trolley came around Fred and George pulled out a sandwich bag and began eating their corn beef sandwiches their mother had made them laughing when they told them that Ron had corn beef as well and hated corn beef. Raven would be happy to eat almost anything so rolled his eyes. Lee bought a pile of sweets, cakes and pies that he shared with the other three especially Raven when he realised that he hadn't any food. Raven ate hungrily and very impolitely food coming out of his mouth. Raven having lived his whole life on the streets or in a cupboard had never been taught manners so didn't know how to eat in a polite situation. The other three were staring at him appalled at the Boy Who Lived's eating stile. Raven ignored this too busy gulping down another pumpkin pasty. They were eating happily away when the door opened to reveal three boys. One who was at the front of the boys and the obvious leader had white blonde and ferret like dressed in expensive clothing with a sneer on his face. Raven knew he was going to be a rich stuck up snob. The other two looked stupider than the other and obviously were using the blonde as there brains. The blonde obviously used them as the muscle he'd seen gangs like this on the streets so it didn't faze him in the slightest. He knew he could kill them in a second so didn't look up from the pasty he was still eating.

'Is it true?' asked the blonde. 'They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?' he demanded.

''Es,' Raven said through a mouthful of food.

The blonde wrinkled his nose, 'you're quite disgusting,' he grimaced.

'An' yeh have tae hide behin' yer goons,' Raven snorted.

'I could take you any day of the week,' the blonde retorted.

'I'd li' tae sae yeh try,' Raven figured his knife in his trouser pocket.

'I don't need Crabbe and Goyle,' the blonde retorted. 'The name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. You'll soon find out some Wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there,' he said looking at the twins and holding out a hand.

'Fuck off,' Raven looked at the boy who had gone pink.

'With manners like that you'll not last long in Hogwarts,' warned the blonde.

'Dae I luk scared tae yeh?' demanded the street child.

'I'd be careful if I were you, Potter,' warned Malfoy. 'Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you.'

Crabbe and Goyle walked towards him cracking there knuckles and flexing there muscles. Then Raven leapt up at that point reacting instinctively as he'd learned to on the streets of London. He fought the three boys without even needing to draw his knife. He punched Crabbe in the soft tissue above his nose. He went down with a thud. Then kicked Goyle in the stomach and he went down too. He then snarled at Malfoy who screamed and ran off in the other direction. Raven shook his head; what a cowardly ponce. He then sat down picking up a packet of colourful sweets and resumed eating as if nothing had happened. And indeed to him nothing had; he'd been fighting for so long that fights like this were second nature and never alarmed him. So he learned to fight harsh and well and when others got hurt it never bothered him. The other three boys were staring at him in alarm. Raven understood that the more animalistic side of a street rat had come out just then. And these civilised, well brought up homed wizard boys were unused to seeing a punch up like that. He wasn't going to apologize for that. He knew how to fight and if people decided to fight him he'd fight them right back.

'Where did you learn to do that?' asked Lee weakly.

'Around,' Raven replied vaguely.

'Remind me never to get into a fight with you,' muttered Lee.

Raven grinned at this.


	13. An Unexpected Sorting

An Unexpected Surprise

Hermione had heard the sound of a noisy fight from inside of the famous boy who looked like he was going to be a handful, the red headed twins who were older brothers of Ron and the dread locked older boy's cabin as she was walking back from the toilets after getting changed into her brand new plain robes. She knew that they would become adorned with the badge of whatever house she got into once she was sorted. She didn't know how she got sorted and was a little nervous. She wanted to be either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, preferably Gryffindor. She was just thinking this when she heard a very feminine scream and was surprised to see a blonde boy run past her. He had come out of Harry Potter who liked to be called Raven's carriage. That along with the sounds of fighting worried the smart girl. What had they been up to in there? Hermione who had always been called nosey by the other students in her primary school popped into the boys' carriage. She was shocked to see two huge boys lying unconscious on the floor with patches of blood and red spots that were sure to become bruises. Then she looked at the four boys; the older boys were looking at the small, grubby, first year in shock whilst Harry Potter was looking very smug. There was a bit of blood on his worn out clothes. Raven was the only one not changed into his robes. Then she remembered his accent she realised he must have come from one of the more rough areas of town.

'You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there,' warned Hermione ranting at the boy.

'Sae t'is no like I never bin in deep shit b'fore,' Raven looked at the girl incredulously.

'You're going to make such a bad impression on the teachers with your language, never mind you look like you haven't had a bath in a decade, and you should really be getting into your robes,' she repeated.

'No fuckin' way I don' wear dresses,' he sneered the word. 'I don' have any dresses. I cum as meself or noe a' all,' huffed Raven.

Hermione gave him one indignant look and then turned her back on him and stormed off. Not before she heard the other Londoner's undisguised snort at her. Hermione decided that someone had to teach him some manners and that she'd avoid him at all costs from now on. Honestly the manners of some people; he acted like the rules were completely beneath him or didn't exist as if he made the rules and did what he felt like. She had no problems with wearing the robes and her parents were Muggles. They had been completely shocked when they'd found out about magic. But Hermione nodded the weird things that happened around her suddenly all clicked into place. And nobody else, boys or girls, she'd seen on the train had cared about wearing robes. Harry Potter had obviously let his fame go to his head. Being famous even for saving the world from a psycho was no excuse to act the way he did! But if he even tried to drag her down with him she would have something to say to that. It was better to stay away from people like Raven. What kind of a nickname was Raven anyway? But she'd try to encourage him how to behave properly. He didn't seem unintelligent just different and disrespectful like he couldn't care less. She wondered what his problem was anyway. Why did he always scowl? She bet he'd end up in Slytherin!

'We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately,' a disembodied voice suddenly announced.

Raven refused to heed this. He kept all his items on him at all times. After all you'd never know when you'd need to move on. Or he could never tell when he might need his things suddenly. After all in London it could go from a warm sunny day to bucketing down in a matter of minutes so it was better to keep his extra clothes on him at all times encase he need more layers. Then there was fact you never knew who to trust he was living with a bunch of homeless kids. So many of them where thieves and pickpockets; he should know as he was one of the best in London! So he was not going to leave his bag of all his belongings here. He shouldered his bag and with the twins left the train. It was dark as he stepped out of the train. The air was different to any air he'd ever breathed before. It was fresh and clean without the permanent smell of smog and rubbish that Raven was used to. He looked around as the masses of students all, apart from him, in long black dresses.

'C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years. Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me,' a voice called.

Raven turned to see a huge man. He had hair wilder than even Raven's that fell down to his shoulder in thick, matted curls. His eyes glittered with black warmth in the evening hair. The little bit of skin was sun burned red as though he spent a lot of time out in the sun. On top of his hair he also had big curled beard. His clothes seemed to be handcrafted out of skins. Then there was simply his size. Compared to the children surrounding him but even if he had been placed next to a big man like Uncle Vernon he would be about double his height and five times as wide (and that was saying something!) Then there was the fact that the man looked familiar as he continued to call the first years. Raven realised that he was the only teacher on the platform. Raven saw a few of the other first years look at him nervously. But Raven who had survived by being able to read people realised despite his enormous girth he was a big softie on the inside.

'That's Hagrid,' Fred said.

'The gamekeeper,' finished George.

'Seems nice,' Raven said. 'See ya,' Raven walked off.

'Must be the first person,' Fred said.

'To ever see past,' George continued.

'Hagrid's size,' added Fred added.

'To what a,' George added.

'A softie he is,' finished Fred.

'And the first person who's ever worn Muggle clothes to the feast,' added Lee.

'Snape's going to kill him,' Fred said gleefully and the three third years left.

When all the older students had left leaving only the first years Hagrid left up a path. Raven looked around taking everything in from the dark trees that seemed to chatter beside them to the sound of lapping water. Whilst the other first years seemed nervous Raven who knew that the night was neither a friend nor an enemy. It cloaked you and kept you from being detected. But it was the coldest time of the day and the day that the worst characters came out at. Raven was used to being out alone in the dark. And the scared little boys and girls who teetered around the edge had nothing on him. Raven walked a little apart from everyone else. So far out of the first years he had met a cry baby, a spoilt brat, and a whiner. He wasn't too sure about Hermione though she just seemed to have her books suck to far up her ass. And she had her love of rules bordering on addiction. The law had never helped him so why should he care what it said? There wasn't much talking. Not that Raven cared he was more than happy with peaceful silences. Neville the cry baby sniffed a couple of times.

'Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec jus' round this bend here,' Hagrid told them.

And they rounded the corner on the path to a dark mass of water. Raven knew it was a large lake. He looked across it to the castle. The castle was huge and shone golden. There were towers and drawbridges; the gold bricks giving away to slate gray roofs. Looming over the lake surrounded on all sounds by the green Scottish mountains. Raven who had never been outside the city shivered slightly; he wasn't used to this landscape. The starry purple sky was stretching above the tall towers of the castle. Raven had never seen so many stars. Sure he'd seen stars but they were always dimmed by the yellow glow that London's street lights polluted the night sky with. He looked around feeling very out of place. But none of his uneasiness showed on his face. Raven was very good at hiding his true feelings; it came with surviving the streets and the police. Upon the lake lay little rowing boats they were obviously going to get to the castle via. Raven didn't think it was very magical. And he wondered who was going to row the boats since the night was very calm so the wind wasn't going to push them across.

'No more'n four to a boat,' ordered Hagrid.

Everyone scrambled for a boat. But Raven who had been dragging his feet along rebelliously had been left with the only boat which had three people in it. There was the twins' younger brother Ron who Raven thought was whiney. And then there was the geeky brunette girl absent of any books. And lastly was the cry baby whose toad kept running away from him. Not that Harry blamed the toad; he wouldn't want to belong to anybody either. Hermione obviously remembered him as the rude potty mouth dirty child. Ron didn't say anything much just kept staring obviously and unblinkingly at the scar. Raven felt a familiar anger bubbling under the surface of his skin but didn't say anything as much as he itched to push the red head into the lake. Not that it would do much as they hadn't even begun moving. But maybe it would give him a cold. But colds were easily fixable if you could just go to a warm bed and rest not have to live out in the extremes and try and earn enough to buy food and clothes. Raven had never even had medicine in his life. Then there was the sniffling boy who looked like he was going to cry again. Raven directed a harsh sneer his way as Hermione put an arm around him glaring at Raven who ignored her. Raven looked around to where the Malfoy boy was with his two battered friends and a weedy looking boy. The giant of a man was in a boat to himself.

'Everyone in,' he double checked not wanting to leave anyone behind. 'Right then forward,' shouted the giant.

The fleet of Raven briefly counted, just because he couldn't read didn't mean he couldn't count, of twenty boats silently glided across the lake. Raven looked around knowing that it was magic that was propelling the boats. The lake was as smooth as glass when they had started and indeed it barely rippled as they sped across. Raven wondered what would happen if it wasn't calm like today. There had been some stormy Septembers. Did they still cross by boat over a storm ridden lake? Or did they use some sort of magic? Raven, along with the rest of the first years, was silent but the other first years looked up in awe at the castle as the street boy was lost in his thoughts. Raven realised they were about to crash into the cliff and ducked before anyone else even considered it. The others didn't even do so until the giant told them to. Idiots couldn't they see they were all about to have their heads taken off? And surely there was a safer way than this. They had magic for crying out loud!

'How did you know to do that,' hissed Hermione.

'Didnae wan' mae fuckin' hea' 'aken o',' Raven drawled.

'Language,' hissed Hermione.

Raven rolled his eyes; was she determined to sort out his language? By the looks of the girl yes she was! They were then taken deep into the cliff face where they came to a dock of sorts. The rest of the students scrambled hurriedly up the beach of pebbles. Raven just strolled up the pebbles casual as everything taking great pains not to let anyone see how ill at ease and how many times he'd almost tripped on the rocks. If there was something that Raven was very good it was bluffing! Hagrid handed Neville back his toad which made Neville grin sickeningly. Raven just rolled his eyes. They walked up a stairway of granite stones Raven bringing up the rear to a huge oak door. At this the giant pounded his huge fists on the door. And the door swung open revealing a huge entrance hall that could have housed an entire London street behind a severe looking witch. She wore her long dark hair up in bun underneath her black witch's hat. Raven snorted with the black hat and emerald robes she looked like one of the rich kids on Halloween. She looked stern and Raven made the note not to cross this woman better to sweet talk her instead.

'The firs' years, Professor McGonagall,' Hagrid told her.

So this was the Deputy headmistress. Raven knew that it was good to try and stay on the right side of powerful people whether police or gang leaders. So he made a note not to get on her bad side if he wanted to survive here. Raven was nothing if not manipulative and a survivor through and through. He noted her eyes on him as he trailed into the entrance hall. He noted her disapproving look. So it was not his supposed fame then that had drawn her attention. No by the looks of it was Raven's lack of culture. Raven wondered whether it was the blood on his dark, torn jeans. Or was it Raven's lack of Wizarding etiquette in a crowd of robe wearing children. Or was it just his clothes in general; between the dark coat that he had replaced to keep out the freezing September night when they had walked and taken the boats up to the castle. It was warm here but that could change any moment. Or maybe the fact that he'd kept his personal effects, little that they were, on him. But whatever it was he didn't show any sign of realising she was looking unpleasantly at him. He gave her wide innocent green eyes free of the ice that could be in them when he was angry and was pleased to see that her gaze softened. It was so easy to play people.

'Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here,' the deputy told the giant. 'Welcome to Hogwarts,' she greeted. 'The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly,' she said.

Raven's ears perked up at the mention of food as they always did. That's what happened when you lived on the streets. On the streets you were almost permanently hungry. On the streets you would do almost anything for a meal. Raven couldn't believe that here you were just _given _food. Some people had it so easy he though bitterly looking around at the other children bitterly. They had the marks of well cared for children while he was just the abused street rat. Well no point in wallowing in self pity he'd get good food tonight even at a cost of his freedom. He still wasn't certain he'd stay but he'd give the school a try if not for himself for Jay. When did Jay become such a deciding factor in his life? He'd know others much longer than he had Jay. He'd only known Jay for a year. But then there was the strange glowing of gold when they'd met. And the fact that Jay had seemed so goddamn familiar. His laugh it was the laugh from his dreams. When the deputy cleared her throat he realised he hadn't been listening and smiled fake apologetically and listened to the rest of her speech.

'…sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room,' she was saying. 'The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours,' she finished.

He had to sleep and spend most of his time indoors now this was making Raven very nervous. Raven felt more than slightly claustrophobic at this prospect a fact that was probably because the only time he'd spent indoors at any length was in a fucking cupboard between chores and beatings lying in his own blood and piss and sweat with little more than t-shirt on. Raven thought it would be perfectly understandable if he had become claustrophobic even if it were just a little bit. Not that you would ever get Raven to admit any weakness to anyone but his own head. And what kind of house names were they? Probably a load of dress wearing ponces had made it up and made up this fucking society. Raven was so glad he refused to go by the dress code. And the rule breaking thing just how many rules would this place have? How many could he physically keep? Raven had spent much of his life living by the law of the street; survival of the fittest. Any others laws no one cared about making it a dangerous and lawless society making you dangerous and lawless. Living by the laws and rules would really irk the wild, street kid because that was what Raven wild! Raven didn't care what house he got into. But the idea that he had to sleep with these ponces didn't impress him. In fact it made him more than a little angry.

'The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. And you, boy, where are your robes?' she demanded of Raven.

'Don' have none,' Raven said.

'And why pray tell didn't your parents buy you any?' she demanded.

'Don' have none o' t'ose,' Raven said letting his "innocent" eyes fill with tears.

'What of your guardians?' she demanded.

'No money,' lied Raven.

'What's your name?' she asked.

'Raven,' shrugged Raven.

'We don't have any Raven on the school list so I'll ask you again Mister what's your name?' she asked.

Minerva McGonagall had seen many students over her thirty five years at Hogwarts but the boy who stood before her was unlike any child she'd ever seen before. There was the Cockney brawl that put the northern accent she had obtained from her childhood in Caithness to shame. He was the only child she'd ever seen come to the Welcoming Feast in Muggle clothing, and that included the seven years she had been a pupil there. The boy seemed innocent and sorry enough but there was something lurking behind those green eyes. Green eyes… she knew who he was! There was Harry James Potter his hair worse than his father whose hair may have been a bird's nest was at least well washed, combed and un-matted. James' son looked like he'd never seen shampoo since before James and Lily had died. You couldn't even see the lightening bolt under the matt in his fringe. She looked at his clothes the long dark jacket that looked like it had had its hay day about two centuries ago and the raggedy jeans that had dark splodges of what Minerva didn't want to know. He wore ancient trainers where his bare toe was peeking out. She had always known that leaving him with the Muggles was a bad idea. But would Albus listen. Then she spotted his bag.

'And prey tell Mr. Potter why have you not left your bag with your other belongings on the train?' she asked.

'Didnae wanna lose i'' shrugged Raven looking at his feet hoping she would think he was embarrassed.

McGonagall huffed but just said, 'I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly,' she asked.

She gave Raven one last look before turning to leave. The other first years were tittering nervously waiting for the sorting ceremony to begin. Raven was rather excited he had always enjoyed challenges. But the others seemed terrified of the sorting. Raven rolled his eyes these kids knew fuck all about real dangers. A few feet away Hermione Granger was talking again telling everyone who would listen about all the spells that would get them out of there. The two boys she'd made friends with; Neville and Ron were listening intently along with several others. Malfoy and his cronies were sneering at this. Raven had a hand in his pocket on his knife. He may not know anything about spells but he knew much about fighting. He'd been in enough street fights. And he certainly knew how to survive. Then he felt a cold sensation behind him. Raven turned around just as several of the kids screamed. Right above them were some pearly white figures that he could see right through. Ghosts his mind told him. He'd heard ghost stories (Jay was particularly fond of them especially the one with the werewolf) but even with his supernatural abilities he hadn't really believed them. And now here where they were: ghosts! The world was mad!

'Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance,' one was saying.

'My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves. He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here,' the other one said rather stupidly in Raven's opinion.

'New students,' the man said so genially that Raven thought it was almost comical. 'About to be Sorted, I suppose?' he asked and a few nods were got. 'Hope to see you in Hufflepuff; my old house,' he explained.

'Move along now,' a sharp voice was heard apparently McGonagall was back. 'The Sorting Ceremony's about to start,' she informed them and the ghosts floated back through the wall. 'Now, form a line,' she ordered, 'and follow me.'

Raven who hated following orders unless they benefited him scowled and got into line at the end behind a little dark haired girl wearing glasses. He saw the nervous looks on the faces of his peers compared to his scowl. The first years walked out of the chamber and back into the entrance hall. Then the huge wooden engraved double doors opened into yet another hall. This one had five tables. There was the high table at the front where the teachers sat; a silver haired man at the centre who looked all to familiar Raven was sure he had featured in his dreams, there was an empty seat for McGonagall, up there was the giant man called Hagrid, a small little white haired teacher, a man wearing a bright purple turban who Raven thought was suspicious and a black eyed man with greasy black locks. The Hall was lit by thousands of _floating _candles. It was spectacular and Raven felt even more grubby than usual. He so did not fit in here! He was a street urchin and this … this place was fit for kings. But he didn't say anything content to stare ahead. There were four tables Raven recognized the twins, Poncy Percy and Lee on one of them. This was one which had a scarlet with a golden lion table cloth and looked very prideful. But Raven was all too well that pride came before a fall. Then there was the table with a blue tablecloth with a bronze bird on it the students there looked very intelligent. Then there was the tablecloth all yellow with a black animal all of them were smiling happily away. Raven thought the sight was sickening. Then finally were a bunch of people that Raven though he should be wary of their green tablecloth with a silver serpent. All five tables had empty gold goblets and plates which Raven already planned to nick and sell. Once a thief always a thief he knew. McGonagall stopped at the head table turning to stand facing the students both old and new. Hermione Granger quickly shut up saying whatever she was saying. Raven looked up at the so called ceiling and gaped. He decided he liked this room the way it opened up onto the heavens made him feel much more in his element. Harry stared as McGonagall revealed a stool which sat an old and frayed which would look quite at home on his streets had it not been a witch's hat. Raven was sort of disappointed he'd expected something more like fighting a lion or something or according to Ron a troll that would be cool. Then to Raven's surprise it began to sing.

'Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me,

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

'There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be,

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffis are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends,

So put me on!

Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands

Though I have none

For I'm a Thinking Cap,' the finished his song.

The whole hall burst into applause. So that's all they had to do. Raven had hoped he'd get to do something fun. He had been stuck on a train all day and was bored! He wondered which house he'd be in. He wasn't exactly a coward but nor was he exactly chivalrous. Raven was of the philosophy that if it would lead to his survival fair or not he would do whatever it took. And his daring would always be used in balance with survival. He wasn't unintelligent but he was no fucking scholar. Hell he wasn't even literate. He had plenty of street smarts though. But he had a feeling that wasn't the kind of intelligence the hat was looking for. Then there was Hufflepuff. Loyalty, he almost snorted. He knew there was no such thing. And loyalty just broke your heart in the end. But he wished there was loyalty in the world. And Slytherin he was definitely cunning enough to be a Slytherin. After all he had survived the streets even if not in the completely legal way. Then McGonagall stepped forward next to the hat with a roll of parchment.

'When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted; Abbott Hannah,' she called. And the sorting had begun with a small, pink, squeaky clean blonde girl with pigtails and blue eyes. She nervously took her place on the stool and waited for the hat's judgement.

'Hufflepuff,' the hat called out.

'Bones, Susan,' this time McGonagall called and a round red haired girl came forward.

'Hufflepuff,' the hat called again.

'Boot, Terry,' McGonagall called and a sandy hair boy with bright blue eyes walked up.

'Ravenclaw,' the hat called.

'Brocklehurst, Mandy,' McGonagall called this time.

'Ravenclaw,' the girl with strawberry blonde hair and hazel eyes became.

'Brown, Lavender,' McGonagall called.

'Gryffindor,' the hat sorted the curly haired girl into Gryffindor where the twins and Lee cheered enthusiastically.

'Bulstrode, Millicent,' McGonagall called to a podgy brunette.

'Slytherin,' the hat said.

'Crabbe, Vincent,' McGonagall called out and one of Malfoy's friends came up.

'Slytherin,' shouted the hat.

'Flinch-Fletchley, Justin,' McGonagall called and a snobby looking dark, well groomed boy that Raven had seen turning his nose up at him.

'Hufflepuff,' the hat called and Raven sneered at the boy.

'Finnigan, Seamus,' McGonagall called.

The sandy haired boy hopped onto the stool and sat on the stool for almost a minute… then… 'gryffindor.'

'Goyle, Gregory,' McGonagall called up the next boy.

'Slytherin,' the hat said.

'Granger, Hermione' and the girl hopped up far too eagerly onto the stool.

'Gryffindor,' the hat called.

'Greengrass, Daphne,'

The sorting hat sorted the blonde girl into 'Slytherin,' with a shout.

'Longbottom, Neville,' McGonagall called.

The chubby little boy who had obviously never gone hungry a day his life causing jealously and bitterness to present itself in the form a sneer upon Raven's face as he went up to plop himself on the stool. Raven sneered again as the boy tripped up on his way to the stool. Raven felt so out of place here he wasn't like these rich snobs. He was a street rat. Maybe it would be better if he just left. He knew his way around the streets. But this wasn't the streets. And it was boring. He was bored, again. He hoped the school year would pick itself up later on. But looking around he didn't have much hope of that. The hat was taking its sweet time on deciding where Neville Longbottom should be. Raven wondered why some people almost as soon as the hat touched the child's head they were chosen. But others, like Neville, it took an age to decide frustrating the orphan to no end. Raven was never one to be called patient. Finally the hat shouted 'Gryffindor,' Neville ran off forgetting to take the hat off. This got laughs out of the older students and the sorted first years. Raven smirked and looked up to the staff table where he saw the same smirk was on the sallow faced man's face looking like he'd never set foot into the sunlight. Neville ran back to McGonagall who Raven was sure looked like she was about to laugh. But instead just turned back to her list; Raven was disappointed.

'MacDougal, Morag,' was called.

The black-blue haired girl took the hat with a lot more decorum than Neville and… 'Slytherin,' the girl joined Millicent Bulstrode but Raven had the feeling the two were arguing.

'Malfoy, Draco,' McGonagall called as the blonde swaggered cockily causing a sneer on the slum child's face.

'Slytherin,' the hat called out and Malfoy joined his two friends.

'Moon, Lily,' McGonagall called.

'Ravenclaw,' the blonde girl, who was smaller than Raven, was sorted.

'Nott, Theodore,'

A little weedy boy about the same size as Raven and… 'Slytherin.'

'Parkinson, Pansy,'

A pretty pale, dark haired girl walked up and with a yell of 'Slytherin,' was sorted into Slytherin. She walked over to where the blonde was sitting and flung her arms around the other boy who lightly shrugged her off.

'Patil, Padma,'

'Ravenclaw,'

Then her twin, 'Patil, Parvati,'

Who went to, 'Gryffindor.' Raven frowned so it wasn't always family bound.

'Perks, Sally-Anne,'

The small girl with glasses in front of Raven nervously walked up to the hat which fell well below her eyes, 'Slytherin,' the hat called.

Then, 'Potter, Harry.'

Albus Dumbledore watched as the Boy Who Lived walked up to the hat to mutterings from those who had heard of him which was almost everyone except a few Muggle-brought up children. He was very different to what he had expected the boy who to look like. He had expected the eleven year old boy to be skinny due to the neglect he was sure to be inflicted on him by his mother's sister. And he was but it was with a sense of muscle which didn't look right on a boy his age. Then there was his lack of formal wear. He knew that some children liked to wear dark, half destroyed clothes out of fashion. But Albus could see the age of the clothes he wondered how long the boy had had them. He'd been watching the boy since he'd come in. And he'd seen a viscous smirk flick off and on those pale, grubby features. And here was another thing the eleven year old looked like he'd never even heard of a bath never mind have one. He watched as the sorting hat slipped over the matted, grubby bangs covering the boy's eyes so like Lily Evans' in so many ways. Expect from the warmth. Where Lily's eyes shone with love, enthusiasm and curiosity her teenaged son's were dangerous and calculating and cool and had were too old. They were far too old for a boy not even in his teens. He shouldn't have left the boy at the Dursleys he realised that now. He'd done so to keep him safe. But had he created the next Dark Lord?

Raven was sitting on the stool when a voice sounded in the back of his ear, 'hmm,' it said. Raven forced himself not to react to his fright this made the voice chuckle, 'deception comes easy to you.'

'It'd have tae wit mae life,' Raven thought back.

'Indeed you've been very brave,' he said. 'And you've certainly had to keep your wits about you and your raw talent my goodness. But your will to survive is astounding very SLYTHERIN!' the hat shouted.

There was an utter silence as the Boy Who Lived made his way over to the Slytherin table. Potter sat down beside the dark haired small girl with the glasses who had just been sorted into the house of snake. Severus watched as several Slytherin children sneered at their housemate. The Death Eater Spy knew that these were the children of the Death Eaters who blamed Lily's son for the Dark Lord's downfall. He looked over to the Headmaster who was frowning at the eleven year old. Then to McGonagall who seemed to have stopped the sorting looking at him in shock. Professor Snape could understand Potters had been Gryffindors on the whole for as long as anyone could remember. And Lily was one of the bravest people Severus had ever met. Then there was the fact that the child was the Boy Who Lived who everyone expected to be the golden boy. He didn't look much like a golden boy. In fact Potter's son looked more dangerous than even Severus had on his worst death eater days. He knew what blood looked like and Potter's tattered, faded jeans had several dark stains some old, some new. He then looked at Crabbe and Goyle's sons who looked stupider than they who had varying cuts and bruises. The whole hall was silent. But those sharp green eyes which reminded him heart wrenchingly of Lily but with none of the light and goodness that Lily had brought to the world didn't seem to notice the shock his sorting had brought to the usual noisy hall. Or if he did he didn't say anything. Then with a huge ruckus the whole hall burst into talking about the Boy Who Lived sorting into his parents' murderer's old house. Then it hit the Head of Slytherin; he was going to have to deal with Potter's brat all day, every day, be his advisor and councillor and everything else! Oh crap!

'Minerva,' Dumbledore spoke loudly enough to carry to his deputy but none of the students were paying attention.

McGonagall cleared her throat and the hall gradually calmed down but with a still tense atmosphere whilst the boy seemed calm as ever, 'Rivers, Oliver.'

A sandy, curly haired boy came up and it seemed that the sorting went on like usual even if people kept casting looks upon the Slytherin Potter.

**Yay done. Twelve pages. I think I deserve plenty of reviews. So please review.**


	14. The Perks of Hogwarts

Perks of Hogwarts

Raven looked around at the newly appeared food and gasped. The food was piled high across the tables. He gaped. For the six hundred or so people in the hall there as a ridiculous amount of food prepared. On the streets he could have survive on that amount of food for over a year. Whilst Raven was still looking around gaping everyone else was eating apparently not at all surprised at the sheer volume of food for them all. And it appeared it was free. Raven hadn't had a free meal in more years than he could count. And never a meal like this one was. It was a huge feast. Raven began piling his plate with more things than he could count, more than he could even name. This was a definite perk of Hogwarts he decided as he began to rudely guzzle down some pork sausages with all his manners of a street rat. The little girl beside him began chuckling at him whilst the other students moved away apparently appalled at his lack of manners.

'Hungry?' asked the girl.

'Starvin',' agreed Raven.

'Sally-Anne and your Harry Potter,' the girl said.

'Raven,' Raven corrected.

'Huh?' Sally-Anne looked confused.

'T'is wha' known as,' Raven shrugged.

'Oh a nickname,' Sally-Anne smiled and the continued to eat.

When eaten as much food as they could of the main course the plates disappeared. Raven was simply horrified that they could be so wasteful. Raven was now seeing the way the other side of lived. He looked around at the ghosts his eyes meeting with the twins and Lee who grinned at him. When he turned back around the deserts had already appeared. He gaped. Raven had rarely got any sort of treat. And certainly nothing like the dishes and dishes of sweets and puddings that were laid out on the table before them. Beside him Sally-Anne already had a mound of ice cream she was happily eating. Raven pulled a slice of tart towards him and hesitantly ate a bit. Raven smiled and finally understood why people liked the puddings so much. McGonagall and Dumbledore seemed deep in conversation. The greasy haired professor and the teacher in the bright purple turban were talking to each other. When the hook nosed teacher stared at him he clapped a hand to his head.

'Are you okay?' asked Sally-Anne.

'Fine,' lied Raven with a smile.

Raven had never felt pain like that before. But he let it drop well used to be being in pain of one sort of another. But usually scars didn't bother him too much. But he had seen the professor's look. If there was one thing Raven knew it was how to read people. And he knew the man didn't like him. But it was more than that there seemed to be an edge of jealously. Why a man would be jealous of an illiterate street rat Raven didn't know. And there was a bit lonely bitterness that for some reason was directed at Raven. Raven had a feeling that the man was using his own pain to fuel a deep burning anger. But he had a strange feeling off of the turban wearing teacher. He didn't trust the man at all. He didn't know why but Raven was never one to go against his own instincts; those were what had kept him alive on the long years on the street. Soon the deserts had disappeared as well much to Raven's disgust. Didn't these people know the meaning of waste? And the old man whom Raven presumed was the Headmaster, Dumbledore, stood up once again.

'Ahern - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well,' Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins. Raven smirked he knew that they would be like that. He wasn't going to follow the rules no matter what the old man said, 'I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year; the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.'

Raven frowned into the uneasy silence. He knew straight away knowing that this was no casual remark. Raven unlike the majority of the year had known death from a young age. He'd lived with the constant ever present fear of starving often not getting nearly enough food. Then there was the fact that the winters could be horrific. British summers weren't brilliant when the heavens opened up to a downpour. And then there were the gangs and other thieves he'd learned long ago that if you wanted to survive you couldn't do that by being a nice little boy. Raven didn't know the danger but he knew enough about real life to know it was no idle threat. He looked into the Headmaster's bright blue eyes which flickered over to him. Then he looked to the other teachers. They knew what it was. Raven realised this. But what _this _was the street urchin was unclear of. Then he looked around at the students. There were those who seemed disbelieving and uncaring. Then there were those who looked excited at the possibility of an adventure (mainly those on the twins' table). And Percy Weasley just looked indignant. Then there were those who looked scared of the unknown threat. Dumbledore pulled out his wand and two strings of gold coiled to make squiggles that Raven could only presume were words but couldn't tell for sure.

'Everyone pick their favourite tune,' Dumbledore said.

'Fuck that,' Raven muttered in a carrying voice not caring when everyone looked at him and Dumbledore's twinkle dimmed.

'Raven,' hissed Sally-Anne from beside him.

'And off we go,' Dumbledore instructed as the whole hall but one sneering child burst into song with the twins the last two to finish the song.

'Ah, music,' smiled the headmaster, 'a magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot.'

Raven and Sally-Anne who he got on with not badly, along with the other Slytherin first years followed two of the Slytherin prefects even if the Raven hated having to rely on somebody else for once in his life. The tall blonde female prefect dressed in her rich, dark green hooded robes who had introduced herself with a smile as Gemma Farley. The male prefect was a dark sullen looking older boy who hadn't spoke one word but Gemma rolled her eyes at the other seventh year and told them that his name was Taran Cosby. They had quickly split from the other houses and Raven noticed they were heading down to what appeared to be the dungeons deep under the castle. Raven shivered he hated being locked inside even during the coldest winters. Being locked in a dungeon was basically the same as being in prison which despite the way in which he lived he had managed to avoid. He hoped it wouldn't be the Dursleys all over again where he slept in a fucking cupboard. Raven noticed that the portraits moved and talked. Raven thought this was unusual but it was magic and no weirder than ghosts or anything. They at last came to a stop by a large stone tablet set into the wall.

'Salazar,' Gemma said and the tablet slid easily across as the children made there way into the common room. 'This is the way into the Slytherin Dungeons boys would you follow Taran and girls with me.'

'Caito, Crabbe, Gainnes, Goyle, and Nott the first dorm. Malfoy, O'Connel, Potter, Runcorn, Zabini the second,' the sullen fifth year said shortly before stomping off.

Raven entered the second dorm with the other five boys he was sleeping with nobody spoke to him as they went to their beds all five which had dark green coverings and sheets. The room had candles floating as lights which blew out when the five were in bed. The other four boys had their cases already in Raven knew which bed was his by the fact it was the only one without a case on it. Raven placed his bag on the end of the bed right beside his pillow in case anyone stole it. Then nervously he sat on the edge of the bed. He couldn't remember ever sleeping on a bed it made him nervous. It was softer than anything he'd felt before. It was so unlike the Dursleys' mattress and the hard floors which Raven was used to sleeping on. He drew the covers up over him. But found himself unable to fall asleep. It was too damn hot and comfortable. He had to take his coat off; which was something which normally at night (even in the summer) would be fucking suicidal. Raven looked up at the dark green hangings feeling slightly claustrophobic and resigned himself to a restless night's sleep. And true he tossed and he turned knowing he'd never fit in here.

Raven woke early in the morning as Raven usually did; used as he was to getting up with the crows. But today feeling un-rested and grumpy because of the fact he had slept awfully. He picked up his bag and walked to the door which didn't lead to the Common Room. He looked around at the tiled room with the row of large showers. He looked at them nervously. He remembered the "showers" his aunt had given him as a child. Nervously Raven looked at them again. This was why he didn't want to do this. He hated anything like this. He just wasn't good in this sort of situation give him a street fight any day and he'd know what to do. He heard someone walk in behind him and spun around with a hand on a knife in his pocket. But it was just one of the other boys; the black boy with the dark eyes who just smirked at him and began undressing for the shower. Raven still did not move to go into the shower. The black boy smirked at him again.

'It's not going to bite,' the black boy smirked at him whilst a spray of water and steam hit off the eleven year old's body.

Not wanting to look like a coward Raven too stripped down. He looked at his body encrusted with dirt and blood compared to the other boy's body which had seemed spotless _before _he got into the shower. Raven took a tentative step under the showerhead and yelped as he was hit by a warm blast of water. The black boy smirked and laughed at him. But he stopped as soon as Raven turned his icy green eyes on him gulping. It was Raven's turn to smirk. He'd definitely give these sissy mummy's boys who'd been sheltered from the real world their whole lives a run for there money. Literally he could have there money out from under them as quick as blinking. As the water washed the dirt and grime gathered from six years on the street off his body you were able to see the sheer mass of scars that littered his body. Some of which Raven had forgotten. There were new bruises and cuts. And old scars like the ones his dear uncle had given to him with his belts and canes and whatever else he could get his hands on.

'Dear Merlin what in the name of Mordred, Morgana and Slytherin happened to you, Potter?' Blaise was opening gaping at his house mate.

Raven turned hard eyes on Blaise causing the boy to shudder, 'life that's what happened just life.'

Harry Potter had evidently had enough of washing his filthy body because he got out of the shower. Blaise had personally preferred when he had been covered in dirt and grime. The young Zabini wondered if there was a place on his body not hurt. There was his famous scar on his forehead. Then there was what appeared to be belt buckles on his backside that appeared almost as old as the scar. Then there were various knife wounds littered across his arms and legs and torso. Up his right leg was where he had appeared to somehow snag himself on barbed wire. Blaise had never seen so many cuts. And before his father had died in his duty as an Auror which the boy had known had been a set up when his mother had got bored with the man who had father her only accident as he had always been referred. Blaise was under no pretence that these were accidents. And the way Potter had looked at him those jade eyes alive with a fire and pain older than anyone he had ever seen before. Blaise shuddered having the feeling he wouldn't want to get on the boy's bad side. Too bad that Draco, Vince and Greg already appeared to be on his bad side.

**Okay so that's another chapter done and we have Raven's interactions with two of his house mates. Please review.**


	15. The Hardships of an Illiterate Students

The Hardships of an Illiterate Student

Soon as he left the boy in the shower Raven pulled on his dark jeans, black t-shirt and black trench coat. Passing the three other boys's still sleeping forms he entered the common room. At this time in the common room was completely empty. He left the common room the slab of stone sliding easily open. Raven entered the Great Hall where only Dumbledore and Snape were there. Dumbledore gave him a sharp look which he ignored and Snape seemed to be probing him. Raven grabbed a few slices of toast before taking them outside. He wandered to the lake the whether was warm and dry with a few fluffy white clouds floating above them. Raven barely noticed them content to munch on his toast in the breezy morning sun. Raven still couldn't believe how clean and clear the air was. Nor how quiet it was; in London at this point there would be cars and people eager to get to there jobs in the city. Here it was eerily silent.

As Raven walked to his first class that morning he heard the whispers about him. Raven who had grown up being nothing more than a nameless homeless kid who relied on anonymity was slightly unnerved by the way people treated him here. He didn't like how they treated him. He'd prefer to just be one of the nameless students rather than the Boy Who Lived like his fame ever bought him anything. He was walking alongside Sally-Anne who seemed an okay person not snotty or spoilt or a brat or anything she was chirpier than he was used to but that was because she'd had a decent life. They'd had there timetables given out. Raven had no idea how much reading was required in everyday life it was very unlike living on the street where it was your wits and manual skills as apposed to social and scholarly skills that there was no way Raven could have picked up on the streets. So Raven stuck with the small dark haired girl counting on her to get him to the right classes.

Their first lesson was with the Ravenclaws with a small dumpy witch with more dirt under her fingernails than Raven had with his _shower_. Raven had heard a few of the spoilt Slytherins sneer at the woman for her unkempt appearance. Raven glowered at them so aggressively that they quickly shut the hell up. These kids were all mouth and no trousers! Pomona Sprout seemed to take a liking to him after this. Over the week Raven realised she was one of the few teachers who had no problems with either his house or his appearance or his lack of work ethic when it came to reading. And her class didn't rely on his book smarts. Raven had no problems with getting himself covered in dirt and grime or walking it all over the school unlike many of his class and housemates. Raven quickly became one of her favourite students because of this even if he never volunteered answers. The Herbology professor complemented him for his hard work and Raven didn't have the heart to tell her he'd done harder work than re-potting strange plants when he was five and had been doing the Dursleys' gardening from when he could walk; in the dead of night of course didn't want the neighbours to see their freaky nephew. They were let out at ten O'clock to wash up and go to their next class.

Raven followed the other Slytherins a few floors up to the History of Magic classroom which was taught by a dull little ghost who made Raven remember exactly why he hadn't wanted to go to school in the first place due to the fact he was so boring. He'd heard some of the other students say that he didn't even realise he was dead. Raven spent the time thinking of the best fighting techniques. Though by the looks of it he wasn't the only one in fact he was sure he saw Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott betting on Crabbe and Goyle's arm wrestling competition. Raven rolled his eyes those four were so pathetic. Only Sally-Anne beside him seemed to be studiously taking notes. Raven tuned out about Goblin revolutions not really caring what they did. Raven planned not to go to another History of Magic lesson ever. At the end of the lesson they were told to have a roll of parchment on the Goblin revolutions for this time next week. Everyone groaned at the news. Raven's face didn't change he couldn't even if he wanted to turn in that work. How long would it take people to realise he couldn't read or write?

Then there was Charms class with the little white haired man who was about three and half feet having to stand on a huge pile of books so he could see over the heads of all his class of first year. And the small man seemed about a foot shorter than even Raven was. And Raven was a good few inches smaller than most of his class well except for Sally-Anne who was just plain tiny. Malfoy was muttering about being taught by a half-breed in disgust whilst the Ravenclaws around him bristled. Raven frowned at his house mate who was reminding him painfully too much of the time he had spent at the Dursleys but didn't say anything just continued staring at the other boy until the boy shut the hell up. But the old man seemed to not be too bothered about the insults. Some of the Ravenclaws that they were once again having lessons with let out several outraged sounds. But Flitwick soon calmed his class down and began taking the register.

'Schyler Aarens,' Flitwick began with the dark aired Ravenclaw girl who sat at the back on her own.

'Here,' she answered morosely.

'Sophia Adair,' Flitwick continued to the blonde at the front.

'Present Sir,' she tinkled.

'Carl Alvarez,' he continued onto the blonde Ravenclaw bespectacled boy who had been studiously answering all questions that Sprout had proposed to them earlier.

'Present Professor Flitwick,' he said.

'Daniel Bailey,' the brunette Ravenclaw who seemed to be asleep and his name was repeated.

'Oh h-here sir,' the brunette looked around in what appeared to be shock.

Flitwick quickly moved on, 'Terry Boot.'

'Here, sir,' the sandy haired Ravenclaw replied.

'Celwyn Bowen,' the head of Ravenclaw turned to the first Slytherin on his list.

'Yma, here,' the chestnut haired girl answered in two languages.

Finally the little professor squeaked, 'Harry Potter.'

'Here,' Raven said uncaringly and a little rudely.

The little man squeaked again and promptly fell off his pile of books. This got a lot of sniggers, mainly out of the Slytherins. But there were a few laughs from the Ravenclaws after they realised the little man was okay. Flitwick stood up and obviously deciding the pretend that his fall had never happened preceded to finish taking the register. Finishing the register with the black Slytherin boy, Blaise Zabini, who had decided to take the seat beside Sally-Anne. Then Flitwick began with his lesson on moving a button from one edge of the desk to the other. Flitwick warned them that they would start on easy things like this before working their way up to harder things like making things fly. And then proved it by levitating Daniel Bailey's desk who it appeared had fallen asleep once more. Bailey woke up with a start and most of the class laughed except Schyler Aarens who's glum face tweaked a bit but the goth girl refused to be smile, Sally-Anne, Sophia Adair and Carl Alvarez looked disapporvinglu over at their class mate. Raven found the work pretty easy as he had been summoning wallets, food, clothing and other essentials to him for many years and been pushing some of the larger more threatening people on the streets who he couldn't beat with physical force alone. Flitwick was very impressed.

'Look here Mr Potter's done it,' he smiled at Raven. And by the end of the class was still the only one to have done it so everyone but him was told to practice and read up on the theory.

Raven and Sally-Anne left classes for lunch where they grabbed a spot at the end of the table. Raven looked around carefully surveying all possible threats before he sat down. Sally-Anne had seen this. She didn't know where her famous friend's odd quirks came from but she knew that he was strange. The way he talked for one. The lack of respect he showed for his teacher two. The clothes he wore three. Four there was his name. And then there were the scars she had only seen briefly on his arms as he rolled his sleeves up during Herbology before they were coated with the muck. But Sally-Anne knew she hadn't miss-seen them. Sally-Anne watched as Raven ate the food as though someone was about to steal it with morsels of half chewed food splaying all over the table. Sally-Anne whose little four year old brother, Kieran, ate in exactly the same way was too used to it to bother her. But the rest of the House shied away from Raven at meal times. Not that Raven seemed to mind. Again one of those odd things about Raven was the fact he didn't try to make friends. He already had a few enemies; the children of Death Eaters mainly and that was despite the fact he'd beat up the Malfoy heir's cronies. Soon as Raven had done (in no time at all) he left the table.

'Where are you going?' she demanded.

'Ou'fir bi' o' fuckin' air I can' breath in t'is place,' Raven shrugged telling the small girl that he was going outside.

The street boy was feeling claustrophobic with the masses of bodies, walls and ceilings even if you could see the clear blue skies above. He saw Sally-Anne nod and move over to talk to Blaise Zabini who out of everyone in his class was one of the few who accepted him. Outside he noticed that by the lake three taller boys were playing with a purple coloured slimy tentacle thing. He wandered over to them having seen the red hair that was the Weasleys. Fred, George and Lee were throwing bits of bread that the purple thing was greedily taking. Raven felt a bit angry at the wastefulness that Hogwarts showed. He glared at the three boys but his curiosity outshone his anger. But the anger didn't go away. So he walked up to them fists clenched in anger but his face showing none of it. Only if you looked at that icy spark in those vivid green eyes would you be able to tell not all was well in the mind of Harry James Potter otherwise known as Raven the Street Rat.

'Wit yeh up tae?' Raven asked the boys what they up to without swearing for once.

'What's it to you, Slytherin?' Lee demanded.

'Have yeh git a problem?' Raven asked.

'Yeah,' Lee agreed. 'You were our friend and then went into sodding Slytherin.'

'Wit's wrong wit dat?' he demanded.

'That's where You-Know-Who was,' retorted Fred.

'Sae yer goin' tae fuckin' judge mae on wit I didn' fuckin' dae?' demanded Raven eyes flashing.

George was the one who remembered when he had last seen that look in the younger boy's eyes just before he knocked Crabbe and Goyle unconscious with a few well-placed hits. The younger Weasley twin was under no illusions that the first year Snake could be a dangerous enemy when he wanted to. Before the three third years could say anything else Raven had let go of the little restraints on his temper he had. The boy growled and lunged at tallest boy there who had been insulting him the worst, Lee. This was why he didn't make friends Raven thought; they always betrayed you in the end. Raven thought as he kicked and punched Lee Jordan taking out his pain in the only way he knew how - violently. Lee had bright red patches which would come out as terrible bruises in a few days and several broken bones by the time George had the good sense to whip his wand out at the Slytherin. Raven looked at the weapon warily before making a quick retreat as the bell rang not realising that the twins were taking their friend down to the hospital wing and the teachers would soon all know about his bout of anger. He quickly found Sally-Anne remembering why he wouldn't let her into his heart as she stared at him in shock. Raven too looked down at his shirt and realised he'd got some blood from the dreadlocked blood.

'Where have you been?' demanded Sally-Anna. 'And is that blood?'

'Ne'er min',' Raven said quickly, 'wit are we in nex'?' Raven asked.

'Transfiguration,' Sally-Anne said.

Raven took his seat at the back of the class and was unsurprised when Sally-Anne sat down beside him still trying to get the story of what had happened out of him. She only quietened when Malfoy appeared to be listening in. It was just the twenty Slytherins in the Head of Gryffindor's class. Raven slouched in his seat as the teacher entered and began her lesson. In her opening lecture they were warned about doing anything dangerous since the wrong thing said or done could end up with devastating results not that she gave them any examples on what could happen or anything cool like that. The class was warned that if they did anything stupid they'd be sent out of the class and wouldn't be coming back in. Raven surveyed his teacher but knew it was an empty threat. She then turned her desk into a pig at which Raven rolled his eyes. How was turning her desk into a pig in anyway useful? It was only useful if you knew how to gut and roast a pig for eating which Raven did not.

Minerva looked around the class of unimpressed students. In any of the other first year classes all the eleven year olds would be thrilled at this display of magic. But as always the Slytherins never seemed impressed by this. She wondered what would impress them. As her eyes fell on the Slytherin Potter slouched at the back of the class obviously not paying her a bit of attention. His mother would always have taken half a dozen notes by this time. And though his father pretended not to do any work he always turned in the best work. He looked cleaner than he did yesterday which made the curse scar more prominent on his face. But he was still in the same clothes and it seemed that he had even more blood on them. She frowned she just didn't get this boy. She got the class to start on their notes and calculations. But couldn't help but notice that Potter had no parchment and seemed to be staring no-focused at the black board obviously not doing work.

'Potter where are your calculations?' she demanded.

'Didn' dae none,' Raven replied.

'You'd best use Miss Perks' then. Detention tonight and twenty points of Slytherin,' she snapped.

The class groaned; they weren't Gryffindors who wanted to win for House loyalty but they still wanted to win. Slytherins would do anything to achieve their aim! But Raven wasn't too concerned. He tried waving his wand around and copying what spells his peers were saying. But instead of the matchstick turning into a pin he managed to implant pins all across the floor. There were yells and cries as the class, including Professor McGonagall, all scrambled up onto the desks most with bleeding feet. Raven only rolled his eyes; honestly he'd had worse wounds than that. McGonagall quickly returned the floor to normal but the students stayed seated on their desks with their feet heavily bleeding and shoes in tatters. Raven heard cries across the room. As McGonagall knelt on the now normal floor and spoke something into green flames. A round nurse in white appeared in the classroom wiping blood from children's feet and healing them with magic and spells. Finally they were ready to go.

'Class dismissed except Potter you stay here,' she ordered.


	16. The Truth About Harry Potter

**Hey I'm back sorry my laptop died so here's my next update. And yes our dearest Severus is in it. Please, please review. I know I haven't answered many the reviews that you have sent me since I could only access the email version of them not Fanfiction on the University computers. But please review I like to read them.**

The Truth about Harry Potter

After the first year Slytherins had disappeared from the Transfiguration leaving only Harry Potter in the class. Minerva once again observed the eleven year old boy whose icy green eyes were glowering up at him. Already the eleven year old had beat up some of his house mates and three of her lions who were two years older than him. Minerva knew that he would be in enough trouble anyway without this latest disaster. The worst thing was Minerva thought the child could do well if he put some effort in.

Potter hadn't even bothered to wear school uniform to the class still in the scruffy black Muggle clothing. But he looked far cleaner than he had last night actually looking like he had washed. Honestly what had the Muggles he was left with been teaching him! She had known that they spoilt their son so Potter probably had the same upbringing. Minerva decided to take the boy to his Head of his House although Severus didn't outwardly punish his snakes he did punish them in the confines of their own house.

'That's it we're going to your Head of House,' Minerva said.

Raven frowned he hadn't liked the man when he had briefly saw the man at meal times. It was obvious that Snape hated him for a reason unknown to Harry. Harry didn't want to spend anymore time in his Head of House's presence than was necessary of him to. But it was obvious that McGonagall was giving him no option but to accompany her to Snape. Raven decided to accept it even if he was far less than impressed by these turns of events. McGonagall had swept out of the room.

'Hurry up, Potter,' Minerva called out to the boy.

As the teacher and the student made their way to the dungeons Minerva noticed a lot of people flinging them odd looks. When the other students realised who the child was accompanying the Deputy Head of House. This angered Minerva a lot. The boy was arrogant enough as it was without the students giving him reverence because of the Slytherin's past. It was only really her lion's that disliked him being in Slytherin. The rest of the school had accepted it because Ravenclawes and Slytherins got a long and Hufflepuffs liked everybody whilst Gryffindors hated Slytherins. And Slytherins hated Gryffindors.

'Hurry up and get to dinner,' Minerva barked at a few of the first year Hufflepuffs coming from Charms.

Finally they got to Severus office without too much disruption where Minerva indicated that they were to stop. Minerva saw Potter relax onto the manky wall as she rapped on Severus' door doubting he would have left for dinner until the majority of the students had left. Severus hated spending more time than was necessary with the students. Severus appeared at the door not looking happy about being interrupted by the Head of Gryffindor House and his senior. She saw him sneering undoubtedly at James Potter's son. But really the boy wasn't like either of his parents!

'I have come to talk to you about what _your _student has been doing in my class,' Minerva said emphasising the words, "you student" not wanting any claim on Potter.

Severus heard what his colleague had said and was angry that already one of his Snakes had got him into trouble with the Gryffindor Head. Then he looked past the irate Minerva and saw who it was. Severus was not at all surprised and again wished the boy hadn't ended up in his house! He looked to where the boy with the long, wild, unruly, midnight black hair that seemed ragged but at least it was clean unlike yesterday stood. Severus felt the boy was skulking glowering at his professors. Probably not used to getting in trouble; that spoilt little brat!

The young eleven year old boy looked very Slytherin which was surprising considering he was from a Gryffindor family. Still that happened sometimes. But that didn't make Severus happy he had hoped that Potter had come into his house by accident but obviously not. Now he would have to deal with the spoilt little brat. The young Slytherin stood slouched, leaning heavily on the back yellowing, slimy, damp, cold, wet wall looking completely at ease. It was obvious to Severus that Potter didn't care about anything or anyone but himself. Selfish brat thought Severus again.

Severus thought that considering how much trouble he was in with both his Head of House and the Deputy Headmistress of his school the boy could show a little more interest. In fact if Severus didn't know better he would have thought that the boy was merely bored which of course was ridiculous even if the boy didn't care about getting into trouble you'd think that he was excited about getting so much attention. But the boy just didn't seem bothered. It was only the first day of the first school term and here was the boy in huge trouble. Severus shook his head in disgust at having to deal with such a spoilt brat. It seemed he was worse than even the Malfoy boy. But it shouldn't have surprised Severus really how very like his sire Potter was. James Potter always had the ability to wrap all adults around his fingers but his son wouldn't fool him. Severus now had a chance to make Potter into a child that Lily could be proud of. And Severus Snape would straighten this Potter out!

Severus sneered some more at the small black haired child slouching on his wall, 'ah Harry Potter,' Severus breathed.

Severus was very careful to wipe his face of all emotions at least in front of Minerva although she was his favourite Gryffindor it didn't mean that he wanted her to know the truth about how he treated his House. He knew she suspected that he never punished his students as he pretended to. And he would not show the complete and uttered disgust, hatred and contempt that Severus Snape had felt for James Potter's only son and heir of the Potter fortune as he felt. Not in front of his colleagues anyway and especially not in front of the Head of Gryffindor House or any Gryffindor. That was all he needed!

Severus was well aware that his Snakes had to stick together against the other houses who hated them so much. Severus may not like all his Snakes but he still treated them the same at least publicly. And he was aware that there were Slytherin children who just didn't get on with one another but Severus had requested them to remain decent towards each other when out of the Slytherin Common Room. Severus hated it how the fact that the rest of the British Wizarding World believed that all Slytherins were evil all because of one psychopathic wizard even Dumbledore believed it to some extent.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_It was lunchtime for Severus Snape and he had just come from an exceptionally unsatisfactory class of third years Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs (the biggest dunderheads in the school Severus had always thought). The Weasley twins, Fred and George Weasley, had caused a ruckus in the class by adding itching powder to Zariah Santos, an Italian Hufflepuff's, cauldron causing a massive explosion. Albus had asked him at breakfast to come to talk to him over lunch. That was fine for Severus having an excuse to get out of the school lunches that had Albus made Severus attend._

_Severus was sitting with a cup of tea after turning down Albus' offer of a lemon drop, again. Severus wondered if the man would ever get it that Severus Snape did not do lemon drops! Severus looked at the older man whose usually sparkling blue eyes had been dimmed by unknown causes. Albus had lines around his face and he looked quite close to his actual age; and almost seemed defeated. Severus didn't know what was bothering the Headmaster but knew that the old man would come out with it soon enough._

'_Ah Severus thank you for coming,' Albus started off._

_Severus rolled his eyes at this comment. Severus always came to whatever meetings that Albus happened to have planned for him. Part of it was that Severus was very grateful to old man for having kept him out of Azkaban. But the other part of it was he knew that under the doddering old fool act Albus Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard fully alive for a reason and it was best to listen to what he was saying even if you had to see under what he wasn't saying. Then there was the fact that if he didn't come Albus would probably come to his chambers or drag him away from Great Hall anyway. So Severus didn't say anything just taking a sip of tea._

'_I wanted to talk to you about Harry Potter,' began Albus._

_Severus scowled honestly he'd been in the school for less than twenty four hours and already the boy was getting into trouble. What had the boy done? And why hadn't he been informed. Severus was after all Potter's head of house. He almost laughed at that; he would bet that the boy's sire would love the fact that his son was one of the Snakes Potter so despised. Oh he knew that the boy felt himself too good for school uniform and had already beat up Crabbe, Malfoy and Goyle but Dumbledore as he was not yet in school they couldn't punish him for that._

'_What has the brat done now?' sneered Severus._

'_Now Severus I wouldn't have thought you should treat any of your Snakes like that,' reproved Albus then he sighed. 'I'm worried he's the next Dark Lord.'_

'_What?' demanded Severus sure he didn't like the boy but he didn't think he was evil either. 'Well he's already beaten up Misters Crabbe and Goyle quite brutally too and have you seen the icy look in those eyes. And then he's in Slytherin!'_

'_Not all Slytherins are Dark Wizards,' scowled Severus._

'_I just worry he'll go dark,' Albus sighed._

'_And then you'll have no one to fight your war for you,' Severus said coolly causing Albus to flinch._

'_Please just keep an eye on him. Keep him on right path as no one did you,' Albus begged._

'_For Lily,' Albus manipulated._

'_You claim that all Slytherins are Dark Wizards yet you manipulate as well as any,' Severus said coolly._

_Severus then stormed out of the Headmaster's office scaring several of the students who had been loitering around the corridors and taking house points from them. But what angered him the most was that Albus had once again played his card and got Severus to do exactly what was requested of him for Lily. It was all for Lily. No matter how much he hated both Potter boys – James and Harry – he loved Lily and he would protect and make sure her son was not another Dark Wizard although Severus doubted he'd go down that path anyway!_

_**END OF FLASH BACK**_

Severus had been so sure that Albus had been wrong about the boy. But looking at the boy now leaning against the wall so calm and casual although he was in huge trouble with green glacial eyes glowering at him a sneer equal to Severus' on his face Severus had to admit that the Headmaster had a point. The boy did seem to be teetering on the edge of a dark, dark pit which Severus was one of the few to ever escape after falling in. He hoped that both his suspicions and Albus' beliefs were wrong.

Then the boy had the cheek to answer back to his simple statement of his name, 'Raven,' Raven glowered even more at Severus.

Severus was forced to repress a shudder when look at that boy by a mere eleven year boy and a Potter at that. But the intensity at which Harry Potter could glower at exceeded even Severus Snape's most heated of glares and even rivalled Voldemort's red eyes fury. Severus was going to keep an eye on the boy because it seemed that Albus was once again far too correct than Severus liked to think. At the young boy's look Minerva – being a Gryffindor right to the very core of her being – wore her heart on her sleeve so wasn't able to hide her emotions or lie to save herself which was why she wasn't the Order's spy! Severus saw Minerva flinch and couldn't help but smirk at that.

Severus saw a similar gesture on Potter's face. But Potter who wasn't as friendly with McGonagall as Severus was didn't just smirk at her through the Deputy Head a full bodied sneer in her direction at the fact she had flinched because of an eleven year old's actions; very brave! It was only in a response to Potter's cold and cruel actions did Severus now wonder what Potter had done that necessitated Minerva brining the boy to him. Usually if one of his Snakes was misbehaving in her class or one of her Lions in his classes then Severus and Minerva would deal with it as they saw fit; a detention here, a few points off the child depending on the severity of the child's actions. As Potter had been brought before his head of house it was likely that Potter had either hurt someone else, again, or put himself in danger. Severus suspected it was the former of the two.

'May I ask what it is that Mr. Potter has done to upset you so?' Severus raised an eyebrow.

Minerva scowled and spoke with a heavy Scottish brawl in her anger, 'Mister Potter decide not to pay me any attention,' she scowled obviously upset about that. Severus didn't see the problem the Marauders never paid any teacher attention and they never got into trouble! 'And this caused the severe injury of several of you Slytherins,' here Severus frowned typical Potter not to care about anyone but himself.

'It was a fuckin' acciden',' growled Potter eyes glowering again.

'I'll deal with Mister Potter appropriately,' Severus took over before Minerva could answer back in typical Gryffindor fashion.

Severus watched as Minerva's eyes flickered between Potter and himself. The deputy head then nodded and turned tail and left much to Severus' relief. Severus waited until he was positive that she had left without her being able to see what was going on. Before turning to the young pre-teen beside him who was as always slouched against the cool wall apparently completely comfortable; not that it looked comfortable to Severus. In fact much to Severus' outrage the boy's eyes were completely closed as if contemplating going to sleep right against the wall. Severus was completely outraged at the blatant signs of disrespect that even the most spoilt of his Slytherins didn't show.

'Get in,' he ordered dangerously.

Raven, although his eyes were shut tight in the dim light of the dungeons that made him feel very claustrophobic and he seemed completely relaxed was in actuality anything but. But then again Raven was rarely relaxed. Raven was keeping his ears open. And he knew by the sound of the man's voice that had a dark undercurrent that could be really cruel if he wanted to. This was a man who had done terrible things. Raven knew that the man could be a really dangerous enemy if he didn't do something quickly to make the man like him. And Snape already hated him enough as it was and he was in the position of power. Raven remembered only too well the last man who had been in a position of power and hated him. That man abused him for years on end and had then left him to die on the streets of London. Thank goodness it was the summer he had been abandoned or Raven could have died! This is why Raven for once obeyed what an adult was telling him to and willingly entered the Potions Master's Office.

Raven looked around the Office at the yellowed stones that made up the five walls making a pentagonal shaped room. It was completely windowless that Raven used to no walls except on cold or wet days and nights made Raven feel very claustrophobic. But he sat down on the seat nearest the door making sure he had a clear exit if things got tense between him and the dark man. But he then put his feet on the desk not understanding why this made the man angry (**remember Harry/Raven has rarely been inside so doesn't know any manners). **He did accidentally knock over a half written on scroll and black, feathered pen clean off the desk. Raven then smirked at the annoyance in the older man's face.

Severus glared at the spoilt little brat who obviously had never been taught manners by those stupid Muggles who he lived with. The boy in front of him didn't so much as look cowed glaring back at him far more intensely. Severus soon found himself locked in a battle of wills with his eleven year old pupil. He could see the enjoyment in the boy's face at the battle that they were currently fighting in. But Severus couldn't stand those cold adult eyes in that skinny; hairless face so was the one to look away first.

'Now Mister Potter lets talk I've been getting a lot of complaints about you from the Headmaster and the Deputy Head now,' Severus said.

'People must like me,' Raven grinned.

'You know what I don't think they do,' Severus said. 'First off there was the fight between Misters Malfoy-'

'Spoilt brat,' Raven interrupted angrily.

Severus had to admit that Potter had a point there the Malfoy heir really was one spoilt little brat. But considering the boy's own attitude believing he could get away with anything under the sun then the boy obviously had never been told off a day in his life and seemed even more spoilt than Draco Malfoy! Severus was able to happily ignore the state of the boy's clothes and the boy's accent. Severus was far happier to see Potter as his father than as his own person or his mother's son. It was just easier for Severus.

'Crabbe and Goyle came to me yesterday to inform me of the violence in the train,' Severus continued not responding to Potter's outburst.

'They fuckin' started I',' Raven said angrily.

Severus was sure that the three Pure-Blood boys had. They were three of the children of prominent Death Eaters who were only expected to start their career of Hogwarts by making enemies of the boy who had ten years ago apparently felled the Dark Lord, their father's master. It seemed that even with the mad man not about, Severus knew he was out there somewhere, but he still seemed to be affecting Severus' running of the school. But that still didn't excuse the boy from knocking two of his classmates unconscious. How could a small kid like Potter knock out two mountains of eleven year olds Severus didn't know!

'Be that as it may you are still responsible for knocking two classmates unconscious. Then just after lunch Madam Pomfrey informed me that you beat up Mister Lee Jordan in front of Misters Fred and George Weasley. And now you have endangered your fellow Slytherins. Then there' the lack of respect you show your professors and your lack of uniform. You're treading on very thin ice,' warned the potions master. 'You'll have detention for the rest of the week starting at seven tonight and you will be excluded. Do you understand?'

'Yes,' Raven nodded.

'Good now get out of my sight, Potter,' ordered Snape.

'Raven,' growled Raven once again chucking his knife at Snape.

Severus was shocked. He'd known the boy was a trouble maker but he hadn't thought the boy would be involved in anything illegal like using knives. He flicked a wand and the knife disappeared. Then he flicked his wand at the door locking the two in. Potter obviously not realising this tried to get out looking quite panicky when he couldn't get out. But things had changed now that Severus realised the boy had a knife. He decided to ask the boy where he had got the knife from at first but if it didn't work he could use Legimency.

'Where did you get the knife from?' asked Severus.

Raven turned glowering at the man, 'fuck off.'

'Why do you have a knife?' asked Severus.

'Fuck off,' repeated Raven.

'Legimens,' Severus said being flung into the boy's mind.

_It was cold, very cold Raven was freezing it was the middle of the winter and Raven was only five. It was his first winter out on the streets and he was burning up with a terrible fever gotten from all the time spent in the cold. Then there was a terrible fire and Raven knew he had caused it. The rest of the street children had escaped into the cold night air. But Raven was forced to stay behind and accidentally Apparated out into the frosty winter park in attempt to escape from the terrible magical fire._

_Freak was alone in a tight in closed space and he hated it. He didn't understand where mummy and daddy had gone. What had he done so bad that they had left him here? He'd had the dream again with the screams and bright green light where mummy and daddy had died. He was crying for his mummy and daddy when the big man came and shouted at him calling him a Freak and getting angry for waking his family up. The big man slapped Freak across the cheek. Freak quickly stopped crying looking up at the big man eyes wide with fear._

_Raven was alone sitting on the edge of the street hungry so hungry. He just wanted to eat was that really so bad every other six year old got food for free. It was then that Lex came up and suggested doing odd jobs for a guy called Morpheus. They went to Morpheus' layout where Raven was giving an odd look being an unknown but was submitted. The two of them agreed to deliver a package if they were given food. The two boys had to trek half way across London on foot but at the end they were able to afford a good chippy giving them energy to go on a little longer._

Severus pulled out of the boy's head shocked, 'your homeless.'


	17. The Truth Comes Out

_Previously in Chapter Sixteen: The Truth About Harry Potter_

_Severus pulled out of the boy's head shocked, 'your homeless.'_

The Truth Comes Out

Severus had gasped out still in shock about what he had seen in the eleven year old boy's head. Harry Potter or Raven as he was known about the streets was not the child that he had expected him to be. Severus had expected him to be exactly the same as James Potter. But it seemed that the boy glowering at him was anything but James Potter. And Severus Snape had been unable to see that because his own unresolved feelings to James Potter. Severus had never felt so guilty and idiotic in his life as he stood staring at the eleven year old boy.

'Aye,' consented the raven haired boy glowering at him obviously not pleased that his secret had been uncovered. 'Wit da fuck daes I' have tae dae wit yer?' demanded the boy.

Severus realised that the boy was going to resist anything he saw a charity. And with the boy's casual regard to knife throwing and hitting people Severus realised he would have to be careful with how he handled this situation and the boy. Severus still couldn't help but wince at the horrific swearing and lack of use the proper English language that the boy had chosen to employ. But Severus supposed he didn't know any other form of English having been brought up on the streets so could hardly blame the eleven year old boy.

But that didn't mean that Severus had to like the language that the boy used even if it wasn't the boy's fault. Harry Potter was what the harsh world had made him over the many years he had been spent doing his best to survive the harsh underworld of the streets. But Severus found that he could blame those foul relatives that Lily's son called relatives. He had seen how he was treated before the boy had ended up on the street. How had Albus failed to notice this? Or did the headmaster know? Severus hoped that Dumbledore did not!

Severus remembered Petunia Evans from his own youth. Severus had always known that Petunia had hated magic and hated Petunia. How could he have thought the boy would be spoilt with Petunia as a guardian? But he had no idea just how much Petunia hated her magical sister! To take that jealously of her talented sister and use it to allow her husband to hit her nephew. Did she know? How could she not? If had and she really did care for the boy – which Severus doubted – then why hadn't she reported her nephew missing?

She had to know where the boy had gone. But then there was another question about little Harry Potter or Raven the Street Rat. How had the boy even ended up on the streets in the first place? In the first memory the one of a freezing winter the boy had only been a very small child. Would he be able to formulate the knowledge to runaway from Surrey all the way to London? Not that Severus would have blamed him if that was what had happened. He would never ask any child – or adult for that matter – to remain in an abusive household.

Or had the little boy who knew his name only as Freak been abandoned when the Muggles had got sick of even offering the boy house room? Severus hadn't seen much of the boy's memory – not wanting to see more or further invade the boy's privacy. But from the little Severus had seen before pulling out of the boy's head he could tell that Harry Potter who had become known as Raven. Was Raven a name he had invented hoping never to be found by the Dursleys again?

Or had the other street kids named in that when they realised the boy only knew him as Raven? Or when Raven realised it was not right to call a child Freak did he fashion himself his own name? Or was it genuinely a nickname? There were so many questions and not enough answers. Only the boy knew it. And Severus knew he would have a hard time getting the questions out of a boy who had such trust issues and had basically brought himself up as sad and impossible as that was.

But Severus thought that the name described the boy well or at least his masses of Potter hair which was probably why he had either made it up or been given it. Severus wondered if the kid had ever even known his own name. Severus wondered once again if the boy had been abandoned or ran away because it really could be either option. Severus looked at the angry street kid. Poor boy Severus couldn't help but thinking. Severus Snape may appear heartless to his students be he wasn't, not really.

Severus sighed at the child before him. He had dealt with many abused children but never an abused, street child and he wasn't quite clear where to go from here. It was really no wonder why the last of the Potter line who had descended from Gryffindor himself had amazingly ended up in the house of the snakes with his past it was a give. For Potter to have survived a life on the streets from Merlin knew exactly how young a age when the boy had begun to live in the streets it would take a lot of skills.

Oh yes it would take a lot of guts but Severus knew that Slytherins could be brave when they wanted to. But they would only be brave if they so wished to be; and if it benefited them. But not because it was something inherent in them like the bloody Gryffindors were. Then there were the survival instincts that the boy would have been forced to pick up on the years that he had been on the streets. Add in the boy's natural ability to lie and manipulate and thieve so that he could survive. All of these skills that Potter needed to survive the harsh life of the streets were skills that had also been prized by Slytherin himself.

Then Severus was forced to think back on what Albus had theorised about the boy to him a mere few hours before hand. Severus had at the time scoffed at the headmaster's worries about Potter's Lightness. But now he thought back on them. Could Albus possibly have a point? Could the Boy Who Lived possibly go Dark at some point in the future? Severus thought that as sad as it was with a past like his the boy's morals were likely to be very low (if they were there at all).

That meant yes Harry Potter could only too easily end up being drawn over to the Dark side. From what Severus had observed from the boy was that he could certainly be called criminal. Actually Severus felt that the boy was almost feral in the way he acted and spoke. Severus was now forced to re-evaluate the trouble which the boy had caused in Minerva's classroom and even before then. The boy's unwillingness to so much as read the passage that Minerva had set out was a problem that had arouse from the amount of previous education he had.

Had the boy ever gone to school? Surely if he had the teachers would have asked why he had suddenly disappeared from the school with his cousin still attending. The Dursleys he supposed could have lied there way out somehow. But wouldn't it have been checked up on? And then the Muggles would have found out that a child had suddenly gone missing and the Albus would have done something else. There again was that when the boy had lived on the streets where on earth had Albus been?

Albus was supposed to be looking after him! Well Albus certainly had done an awful job at watching over the boy. The boy was clearly uncivilised Severus now realised. The boy's reactions to things were not a result of being spoilt but a reaction to being completely uncivilised! And who would the civilising of the Boy Who Lived be down to but Severus Snape. Severus would help the boy but he didn't know how easy it would be considering he would have to mend a lifetime of faulty learning.

Severus thought back onto the boy's lack of home situation. The thing was that he had no one to compare it to. Severus was well aware that few wizards and witched ever ended up being homeless as even the poorest people could use enough magic to give themselves a place to live. It was actually pathetically simple to fix up a run down shack or even two oddly shaped sticks into a liveable house even if it was rather small. They would of course have to find food in the wild but they could spell their clothes on their bodies into any other form of clothing.

And the children of the Wizarding World who had not yet learnt or had the wands to fix up amenities they were usually prized beyond the most magical artefacts in the world. This was of course because wizards were few enough as it was without having their young die before they could pass on their magic to the next generation. Of course, there had been a few abusive parents Severus thought sadly thinking of the few abused children he had met. But those abusive parents would tolerate their children mainly because it would be so embarrassing to loose their child and that would exclude them from the social circles.

So as far as Severus was aware no child he had met had ever come in from the streets. Severus wondered how the boy had even got his Hogwarts letter. But he supposed it was a question for another day. The question now was what to do with the feral child before him. How did he look after him? Severus had never come across any child like this and for that he was very glad. He didn't want any child to have come from the environment that Potter had. He thought that being a teacher and Head of House would prepare him for all sorts of children; some from horrific home environments but never like this.

Potter had been in classes for several days and neither he who out of all the Hogwarts Professors was the most used – if you could say that about abuse – to dealing with abused children had noticed this. And it wasn't like the boy had hid it particularly well. The boy hadn't bothered to change who he was. Not that Severus thought he could. And Severus doubted he would even know how to act normally considering all he had never known were the streets and other kids like him.

No the boy certainly would have no idea how to clue on how to act normally. This saddened Severus a lot. The boy's upbringing was so obvious now that he had seen how the boy had lived for his whole life. The Potter boy had never even changed out of the one pair of clothes Severus had seen him in. The staff had all wondered about that. It wasn't even a particularly nice set of clothes. They were dark, holey, covered in the filth of the streets and ancient looking like they had been worn by hundreds of other children which they probably had.

Then there was Potter's unkempt appearance, although James looked unkempt he was actually very well kept and the mess he presented himself in faked. But his son's was real. The boy had ever since the first day at school looked completely filthy. He had scrubbed up a bit the second day. He must have actually washed himself for once in his life. Severus doubted he had showered or washed since he had been orphaned all those years ago. Severus thought back on the fighting that had been reported to him over the past day and realised that this wasn't exactly a naughty child's fighting.

Not the fighting was all Raven knew in the world. He had been taught that those who can fight the best are the ones who survived. Not like most children who are taught that hitting his wrong. But his uncle hit him so he couldn't have known that! Yes the fighting was definitely just a street child who did not know how to act in this situation doing his best to convert what he had learnt about on the streets into what to do in school. Severus had no doubt that the boy had picked up a lot of criminal skills from the streets.

But they ended now. Severus would teach the boy the difference between right and wrong if it killed him! Because, although, these skills were very important probably essential on the streets they would not help him in the classroom and were completely inappropriate. Severus understood that this was an uncomfortable, completely alien environment so Severus would try to the best of his abilities teach the boy about this environment. And try to do something about his horrendous accent that anyone should have picked up on.

The boy's accent was incredibly strong of course and it reeked of the rougher parts of London; of the streets. Severus had already heard him speak full of slang, mispronounced and incomplete words. Severus was a champion of English and had campaigned repeatedly – to no avail – for English to be put on the list of Hogwarts subjects as many of the home educated children were simply not up to standards of essay writing when they came to Hogwarts and many never got there.

This again made Severus think about the boy before him. The boy's abysmal accent was likely looking comparatively good compared to his woeful education. Severus couldn't help but wonder how much – if any – the young boy could read. The boy obviously hadn't been able to keep up with the reading in Minerva's classroom. That was yet another thing on Severus' list of things to teach Harry Potter. This boy was going to be hard work Severus knew.

Severus decided to try to answer it truthfully and try to make the street boy understand. 'I am you head of house – yes.'

'Yer fuckin' noe dat,' snarled the boy.

Severus winced at the language once more but overlooked it with more pressing issues about Potter to deal with, 'well as the Head of your House you are my responsibility,' Severus told him. 'We Slytherins look out for one another much like I am sure your street friends look out for one another.'

'On'y cause der's safe'y in numbers,' the boy responded.

'Well that's the same here,' Severus said. 'You see Slytherins aren't liked by the other houses.'

'I don' care wit oders t'ink of ma,' the boy retorted.

Severus sighed and overlooked what he had said, 'so it is my responsibility to care for all of my students,' Severus said gently as though trying to tame a wild animal which in a sense he was.

The boy snorted at this obviously not believing a word of what Severus had said. 'Wit's in i' fer yeh?' the boy demanded.

'Just because someone helps you doesn't mean they want something,' Severus said gently.

'Daes,' argue the street kid.

Severus sighed, 'come on lets go to the Headmaster's Office.'

'Now,' Harry Potter said.

'Now I know you don't trust people but-'Severus began.

But before Severus was through with what he was going to say to calm the eleven year old boy he was interrupted by sudden intense pressure on his chest and around his pale throat. Severus quickly realised that it was the street child and using instincts picked up in the last war instinctively reached for his wand. Soon as Severus got it he silently sedated the boy. Potter immediately slumped on the man's chest. Severus was left breathing heavily from the near strangulation.

Severus supposed he should have expected the boy was quite wild. Soon as Severus got his breath back he pushed to boy gently off his chest and stood up looking down at the boy who was sleeping on the floor of his office. He had thought the boy would be uncomfortable; any other child would be. But of course this wasn't any other child. This child had grown up on the streets and it was probably quite comfortable compared to some of the places Harry Potter had slept.

Severus wondered why he had never been picked by a charity organisation and sent to an orphanage. Severus then stooped down and picked up the all too light child that had barely had proper meal in his life. Severus then carried the thin boy into his own chambers through the back door. He laid the raven haired kid down onto his pale green sofa. Severus had never thought he was a particularly rich man on teacher's wages. But after looking into this boy's head and he'd have to say he was.

Severus then closed the door behind him and magically locked the door to make sure that if the boy woke up before Severus had returned he did not run off. Severus wanted to try and talk to Potter again about his upbringing. Try being the operative word. Severus now was looking forward to explaining to the Headmaster exactly what he had managed to find out about the Golden Boy's (that was a really bad name for a street kid like Potter Severus decided) home life or lack thereof.

Severus walked the stoned halls of Hogwarts up to the gargoyle guarding the man's office. After he gave the gargoyle the password and had ascended the moving, stone steps Severus then knocked on the Headmaster's door before he entered the circular room. Severus was unsurprised but unhappy to see Minerva here. She had probably told Dumbledore exactly what had happened in Transfiguration by now and probably increased the old man's belief that the boy was a dark wizard.

'Ah Severus,' greeted Dumbledore as though he had expected Severus to be there.

'What have you done with the boy?' Minerva questioned.

'He's sleeping,' replied Severus.

Albus raised his eyebrows at Severus' admission. He knew that Minerva was angry expecting Harry to be punished. But as Albus looked at Severus he could see that something was wrong. He didn't know why or what but he knew that tired look on Severus' face that he suspected he was one of the few to know was not of annoyance and anger but exhaustion. And the fact that he had let James' son sleep on him made Albus convinced that something was wrong with the boy.

'He got upset when-'Severus began.

Minerva snorted, 'upset he just injured a whole class of your students.'

'I know,' sighed Severus. 'But it was not his fault.'

'How can you say that?' demanded Minerva whose lips were very thin.

'He grew up on the streets,' Severus replied.


	18. How Has This Happened?

_Previously in Chapter 17: The Truth Comes Out_

_'He grew up on the streets,' Severus replied._

How Has This Happened

There was a silence after Severus' extraordinary revelation of Harry Potter's lack of home life. Severus could tell that this had come as a shock to both Minerva McGonagall who had lost her thin lipped glare and Albus Dumbledore whose blue eyes had lost their twinkle. Albus knew that both older people were completely thrown unclear as what to do about their worrisome teenager. Well that made three of them at least. Minerva was actually gaping at Severus. Severus had never seen the severe older woman like this.

Minerva was completely gobsmacked at the young man's revelation about Harry Potter. She had been angry at the boy oh yes for endangering her pupils but now she realised how he had grown up it was probably a cry for help from confused little boy. She could no longer be angry at the boy. Minerva knew her eyes had widened and her mouth had fallen open and quickly shut her mouth and returned her eyes to normal. She waited for Severus to explain more of what had happened to Harry Potter.

Severus saw Albus eyes go dim very unlike his usual annoying twinkle and realised that he really did care for the boy. He cared enough to allow his Occlumency shields to fail for a moment. Not that Severus looked in but he could feel them. There was shock written across the old man's face. Severus could tell this was the last things that either of his seniors had ever expected and Severus didn't blame them. Of all the things he had expected Harry Potter to be an abused street urchin was not one.

Albus was in shock. The old man just couldn't believe it. He had known the boy wouldn't be happy there; but to runaway…? How had the boy even managed to survive on the streets because the way Severus said it he made it sound like it had been a while that the child had lived on the street. Had the boy ran away? Petunia and Vernon had made it more than clear to him that they didn't want the boy. But would they abandon a child to streets? Albus certainly hoped not. But why hadn't Arabella told him.

Albus had asked her to keep an eye on him for a reason. Surely if he had left or been dumped or moved elsewhere Arabella would have told him. But then did that mean that the boy had never lived at Privet Drive perhaps been dumped right from the beginning. But surely nobody would leave a fifteen month old baby on the streets. Nobody could be that cruel. Albus had often by Severus been accused of being naive and he felt it today. They would have to talk to Arabella Figg about what Severus had discovered today.

'How long?' asked Minerva looking very old and very sad.

Severus saw that both Albus and Minerva were waiting for his reply both fearfully that it had been a long time and hopefully that it hadn't, 'since he was young,' Severus said grimly and saw the witch and older wizard sadden before him. 'Before that he was abused by his uncle I don't know how badly. And he could have ran away or been abandoned. I'm going to ask him when he wakes up.'

Albus nodded understanding and sad at what had happened, 'how did you find out?' Albus asked guessing the boy hadn't just told his Head of House this.

Severus didn't want to give the man more evidence on Potter's lack of morals but saw no way out of it. 'He threw a knife at me,' Severus admitted watching Albus carefully. 'As I cannot have violent gestures in my House,' Severus said coolly glaring at both Gryffindors who seemed to think that all Slytherins were likely to allow anything violent and dark to go on. 'I then used Legimency to try and figure why he thought it was appropriate to throw knifes had a Professor and why he had such a good aim,' Severus muttered.

Albus didn't like what had happened in Severus' office; it sounded too much like his fears for where Harry leant morally. 'Is he proficient with knifes?' Albus asked carefully.

Severus knew what Albus was thinking and looked at him like he was stupid. 'He's live his whole life on the streets, Albus,' Severus reminded the Headmaster knowing that the boy would have had defend himself against street thugs countless of times so spoke very sharply to his employer. 'What do you think?' Severus demanded and Albus avoided his eyes.

Minerva too was angry at Dumbledore for not protecting Harry properly, 'how did you miss this?' demanded Minerva her Scottish accent becoming more pronounced with her anger. 'You told me you had someone watching over him!'

Severus frowned at this. This was the first time he had heard of this. How had whoever had been watching after the boy missed something as huge as in the boy wasn't where he was supposed to be. Severus wondered again if Albus had known despite the shock which had been written all over his face. Severus knew Albus could be very manipulative if he wanted to be. But to leave a child in an abusive household or on the streets…. Surely Albus couldn't have done something like that! He and Minerva were both glaring at Dumbledore.

Albus frowned too not knowing why Arabella hadn't mentioned anything like this to him over the years. 'I had Arabella Figg-'began Albus.

'The cat lady,' Severus drawled.

Minerva frowned at him, 'there is nothing wrong with Arabella.'

Severus was about to reply but Arabella interrupted before either of his employees could say anything else. 'Arabella never told me of anything like this going on,' frowned Albus worried about why this could.

Severus for his part was glad that Albus had never known any of this so was slightly relieved. 'Right,' Severus said briskly. 'We need to talk to Figg.'

Minerva and Albus couldn't agree more with Severus but it was Albus who responded, 'you are quite right,' Albus agreed immediately.

It wasn't much longer that the Trio of Hogwarts teachers were preparing to leave the Headmaster's Office. Filius and Pomana had been informed that they were leaving but not why and it was them that were watching over the rest of the students whilst the Headmaster, Deputy Headmistress and Head of Slytherin House left for the evening. Severus was the first to cross the office to Dumbledore's large, oak fireplace that was behind his chairs. He then took a pinch of Floo powder and Flooed directly to Wisteria Walk. Albus and Minerva followed Severus' lead and did the same.

'Albus, Minerva, Severus, what are you doing here?' greeted Arabella Figg surprised to see the two wizards and one witch in her front room.

'We're here to talk to you about Harry,' Albus said gravely.

'As in Harry Potter?' questioned Arabella.

'You were left to look after him were you not,' questioned Severus.

'I thought you had changed your mind,' frowned Arabella.

'What do you mean?' asked Albus.

'Well I never saw him not for one day,' shrugged Arabella.

Albus closed his eyes for a second before opening them once more, 'I left him there.'

'Then where has he been?' demanded Arabella.

'Abandoned on the streets,' Minerva said crisply.

Arabella paled significantly, 'oh my,' was all she said.

'Indeed,' Severus said. 'I think we should speak to Tuney and her whale of a husband,' Severus said.

'Tuney?' asked Minerva.

'It's what Lily and her parents called her,' Severus said. 'I was friends with Lily remember.'

'Oh yes,' Minerva said.

Severus, Minerva and Albus then marched out of the house to the stares of many people. After all Arabella was well known for being a loner and not having any friends. Then there was what the three people were wearing dress completely in robes. But the three were in too much of a hurry to notice. And then to all observers' surprise they called on the Dursley family who hated anything even slightly abnormal. And these three people were the most abnormal that anyone from Surrey had ever seen.

Albus rang the doorbell of number four privet drive and was met by a bullish man. Vernon Dursley had purple skin and fading black hair. He was huge and fat. Albus was personally disgusted at the man and that was without knowing that Dursley had abused Harry and allowed him to live on the streets of London for a long time. Albus saw the man's piggish eyes widen as he took in who was on his doorstep and flickered around seeing many people openly gawping at the strangers on the doorstep.

'You … you …' whispered Dursley in obvious shock, 'PETUNIA!' he called.

'Yes Vernon,' called Mrs Dursley from the top of the stairs.

'Get down here now,' Dursley shouted.

'What is it?' called Mrs Dursley.

'It's _her _lot,' Dursley called.

There was a silence from the top of the stairs. The three magical people stood with the neighbours openly watching what was going on. Petunia Dursley dressed in a floral pink dress descended the stairs her blonde curls bouncing. Her wide blue eyes wide as she took in the scene at the door; her husband looking nervous, the witch and wizards, the gawking neighbours. Severus saw Petunia blush and knew that her long held fear of being laughed at and being named a freak as she named all witches and wizards including her little sister was coming true, at least in her eyes.

'Hello Tuney,' greeted Severus. 'Haven't seen you since we were teenagers,' smirked Severus.

The gathered crowd got the wrong impression with Petunia Dursley's flushed face and the man wearing a dress's remark on having known Mrs Dursley as a teenager it wasn't surprising really. But Petunia's neighbours were under the impression that the married woman's ex was coming to call. And that was where her obvious discomfort was coming from. Of course, that was not at all true. Petunia Dursley would never have gone for a wizard too concerned with normality not realising it was not at all normal to abuse and abandon a child even if said child did have magic.

'Severus,' Albus said sharply. 'Now is not the time. We're here to talk to you about your nephew Mrs Dursley if I could possibly come inside.'

'I don't have a nephew,' Petunia said.

'What about the boy who was your dead sister's infant son who grew up on the streets?' Severus interrupted angrily. 'I knew you were jealous of Lily but I didn't think you'd stoop this low.'

Petunia was very conscious of the fact that the rest of the street was openly gawking at her. And knew that if she didn't act fast the whole world would know about Lily and the Potter brat. That Snape was standing on her doorstep looking incredibly angry at how she had treated Lily's son. Of course, Snape had always been in love with Lily. Lily just couldn't see it. Petunia stepped aside and pulled her husband aside to do the same. The three freaks entered her home and Lily couldn't help but shudder at their unnaturalness.

Soon the five adults were seat not all together comfortably in the living room which was adorned with pictures of the Dursleys especially their fat son. Severus could see that this boy – unlike Potter – really was spoilt. Severus was disgusted. How could such a whale be related to his dear sweet Lily who saw kindness in everything? Severus didn't now but unfortunately for Harry Potter the two were sisters, which was why he got dumped with such a lousy excuse for family. He had been abused by his father but at least he had his mother with him.

'How did Harry end up on the streets?' Albus began by asking.

Petunia and her whale of a husband exchanged a look but said nothing. Severus knew that they weren't going to tell them the truth not like this which was why he had brought along Vertiserum. Well he would like to torture the secrets out of the two Muggles but knew that Albus would never agree to it unfortunately for him. They sat in silence for a while until Severus leant into Albus' ear.

'I've got some Veritserum if you would like some,' he muttered.

'Please,' Albus nodded.

Severus got up and walked over to the now cowering Muggle couple. Typical cower now; they had never done anything but hit the boy harder when he had cowered and cried as he was beaten by that Muggle. Severus tried to ignore the fact that he was feeling more and more respect for Harry Potter by the day. But he was. Severus then forced the potion down first the wife's throat as husband complained and then the husband's throat much to his fear watching as his wife had gone limp.

'Okay I will ask you that again,' Albus said. 'How did Harry end up on the streets.'

'We abandoned him when he was almost four,' the two said together.

'Why would you do something like that?' cried out Minerva horrified.

'The neighbours would see him when he started school,' replied Petunia.

'Before then what did you do with him?' asked Albus his blue eyes blazing.

'Locked him in the cupboard and made him do the chores,' Petunia said.

'And if he didn't?' asked Albus.

'I beat him,' replied Vernon.

'I didn't let him eat,' replied Petunia.

'Did you ever see him again?' asked Albus.

'At the zoo,' replied Petunia.

'The zoo?' asked Severus.

'We were going to zoo for Dudder's birthday in June,' replied Petunia.

'Dudders?' asked Minerva.

'Our son,' replied Vernon.

'And he threatened to kill us if we didn't give him a reason not to,' Vernon said.

'I don't blame him,' muttered Severus.

Albus frowned, 'and what was that reason?'

'His school letter,' Petunia replied.

'That would do it,' muttered Severus.

'Anything else either of you want to ask?' asked Albus.

'No,' Minerva and Severus said.

'I say we go back to Hogwarts. Severus you talk to Harry and we'll report these two to the Ministry. If we're lucky they'll be in prison by nightfall,' Albus said.


	19. A Caged Rat

A Caged Rat

Severus walked down the stone corridors to his living quarters. Today had been a long night. Severus had to be there as to explain how they had found out about the Dursleys abuse and abandonment. He hadn't mentioned the violence that Potter had exhibited on several occasions it wouldn't help them the boy if they suddenly decided the boy was a potential Dark Lord. By the time that the Aurors had finished interviewing the three teachers and questioned and arrested the Dursleys it was dawn.

In his living room he immediately heard a hiss. Severus saw the previously pacing Harry Potter move towards him. Severus guessed he planned to knock him out and then run out of the door. The boy may never come back to Hogwarts if that is the case.

Severus waved his wand summoning from the kitchens a small bowl of broth. He could tell the boy was undernourished but wasn't sure how much. He'd need to boy to see Poppy but getting an abused child like Harry to visit the Matron may not be easy depending on what he had heard of the doctors. Severus knew that the boy had never been to a medical practitioner since Lily and Potter had been murdered.

'Eat,' Severus instructed.

The boy glared at Severus mistrustfully but Severus could tell under the mask of anger and mistrust that Potter wanted to food. It was bound to be more nutritious than anything Potter had eaten on the streets or in the Dursleys house, not him – never home. Severus just had to reassure the boy that he could trust him which would be an uphill battle.

Severus sighed, 'it's not poisoned.'

Potter stared at Severus blankly, 'why?'

Severus raised an eye, 'why what?'

'You helpin' mae?' demanded Potter.

'Is it so hard to believe that I want to?' asked Severus.

Potter didn't answer but he didn't have to. Severus was well aware that there were few if any adults who had ever helped Potter since the thirty first of October 1991. What Severus had to do was make Harry see that he had nothing to gain from helping him or hurting him.

'Of course it is,' Severus snorted softly. 'I'm guessing there have been few adults who have helped you. You look out for yourself and only yourself. You're not the only one in Slytherin house to do so. I'm sure I will find others in your year who were treated by their parents like you were treated by your aunt and uncle.'

'I nae that,' snorted Potter. 'Why dae yeh t'ink ders so many o' us?'

Severus nodded glad to have gotten a response out of Potter even if not a particularly positive one. But at least Potter wasn't looking like he was going to run just yet. Severus knew it was just the lure of food keeping him there.

'I've helped many boys and girls out of horrific home situations,' Severus said softly. 'None like you, true enough.'

'Why?' Potter demanded.

'Children are prized by the Wizarding World,' Severus explained. 'They may abuse their children but they won't abandon a Magical child. It would be far too embarrassing for them to do so.'

Potter frowned not at the words. Severus had been careful not to overdo long words. Keep it simple was best with Potter as he was so woefully undereducated which was something Severus would have to address was and quickly if Harry was to pass first year. But the meaning was alien to Harry.

Harry came from a world where all the children were frightened and alone abandoned or chased to the streets by those who should have known better. The idea that they could be regarded in any way positive was impossible to Harry. Harry couldn't believe that somebody actually wanted him much less treated children well.

'You are especially prized,' Severus went on. 'I don't know how much you know about your past.'

'I nae that my Mam and Da fought Lord Voldie-thingy,' Raven said. 'Voldie-thingy tried tae dae me in but couldnae.'

'And has never been seen or heard of since then,' finished Severus.

'So what?' demanded Raven.

'Anyone being seen to heart the Boy Who Lived would be instantly hated by the majority of the Wizarding World you're their hero,' Severus added.

Severus was unsurprised to see a light go on in Raven's green eyes thinking about how he could use this new found information. Severus knew that a child like Harry would only use information for his own gain. True enough so would most Slytherins.

'So bein' seen tae helpin' mae wud bae good fer yeh,' Raven said.

'Indeed,' Severus admitted, 'but that's not why I'm doing it.'

'Prove it,' snapped the boy.

'I am not about to inform anyone but the Headmaster, Deputy Headmaster and those involved in arresting your aunt and uncle,' Severus explained.

'Uncle Vernon n' Aunt Petunia have bin nicked?' asked Raven feeling triumph bubbling in his chest.

'Muggles abusing and abandoning a wizard is horrifying to the biggest Muggle lover,' Severus explained. 'For your protection all involved have been sworn to secrecy so no one will know that I'm helping you.'

'Wat dae yeh get fer helpin' mae?' demanded Raven.

'Nothing,' Severus promised. 'I want to.'

'Why?' demanded Raven.

'Why do you trust your friends on the street?' asked Severus.

'There's safety in numbers,' Harry repeated his earlier feelings.

Severus nodded, 'but it's more than that. You listened to Lex's advice.'

Raven scowled, 'dat's different.'

'Why?' asked Severus. 'Because he's like you?'

Raven didn't answer but he didn't need to. Severus knew the truth of the statement. Raven would always consider Severus a threat he was an adult, an authority figure and more to the point he had never known the hardships of the streets.

'I was abused,' Severus told the boy. 'By my father. He didn't like magic, my father. I still don't know why my mother insisted on staying with him. But she did even when he hit her she still insisted on staying with her. I refused to leave her even if my friend offered me to stay with her parents. That was your mother.'

The young Potter didn't react to hearing that Severus had known his mother. Instead he seemed to be deliberating what Severus was saying staring at Severus so intently it was like he was trying to read Severus' mind. Severus might have thought he was except Harry was so skilled in Occlumency that he would have felt it.

However, Severus wasn't far wrong in that analogy. Harry was instead reading Severus' aura what Harry knew as people's colours. Harry had found early on that all the abused children had dark rips to their Colours born from betrayal and pain.

Severus' aura was like none Harry had ever seen. The core colour was dark purple; a strong colour showing the Potion's Master's inner strength. Purple showed his noble character that few would be able to admit seeing. It was a colour of protection that any abused child that had come into Severus' care would readily admit to seeing. Purple was a mysterious alluding to hidden depths under the teacher's dark persona. It was covered in night black showing his wariness to let others in and again alluding to his hidden depths and his dark past. There were rips of dark maroon confirming the fact that he had been hurt and betrayed by those who should have protected him. What surprised Harry the most was that the school teacher had black fraying rips to his Colours that could only come from murder. Grief Harry had found when meeting Jay would leave a dark tint over your normal colour which was possibly the reason that Snape's core colour was so dark. Murder, however, caused rips that would never vanish unlike rips of abuse which could stitch up leaving only scars underneath. Severus' abusive rips had not even begun to heal. That could happen too in some people. Some people healed whilst other people held onto their pain as a shield

Harry had often wondered what his Colours would like. What was his core like? Not gold like Jay's that was for certain. Had his rips of abuse healed or were they as strong as ever? Harry knew he would have black rips from the people he had murdered in self-defence or anger but how many Harry couldn't keep count of.

Harry realising that Severus Snape was telling the truth sat down and began to eat the food but stared mistrustfully up at Snape watching him warily. Snape sat down opposite Harry summoning a bowl of muesli from the breakfast table. Unlike Harry Severus didn't need to build up his weight.

'We need to talk about your schooling,' Severus said softly.

'Wit bout it?' demanded Raven.

'Your lack of it,' Severus said drily. 'I take it you don't know how to read?'

'Where the fuck wiz I gonna learn,' growled Harry.

'That's another thing I think we're going to have to address your swearing problem,' Severus added.

Raven stared blankly at Severus. Severus guessed that this was the first time someone had drawn attention to the amount of swears he use or even told him that using language like that was not on. Or even that there was swearing. The boy seemed to use swearing like he would the rest of badly pronounced English language.

'Words like crap, fuck, and shit are not used in polite society,' Severus said.

'I'm nae polite,' sneered Raven.

'How about this, Raven,' Severus said using Potter's chosen name to try and win him over. 'I'll give you 5 galleons – that's our money – for everydayyou can go without swearing.'

Raven nodded reluctantly, 'from now?'

'From now,' Severus added. 'If I hear you or hear of you using fuck, shit or crap I won't allow you the money. Understand?'

'Yes,' Raven muttered darkly.

'Good, now, as for the rest of your lessons I will speak to your professors so you will only attend practical lessons,' Severus said. 'You will still complete the assignments with a scribe for now. We shall see how much the other teachers are willing to help you. We shall start working on letters today. I am having the Headmaster cover Potions for today.'

Severus spent the rest of the morning with Harry doing simple letters. He knew that the boy got annoyed about it quite often as he wasn't used to holding even a pencil and a quill was a lot harder to control or shaping letters. Harry new the boy was trying his best but after all this time it was difficult.

Severus had gone through two snapped quills. The second time Severus gently reprimanded the boy for wasting money in his temper. Naturally lack of money was a topic very close to home so Harry quickly stopped snapping them when he got frustrated.

Severus knew the boy was frustrated with his lack of progress and angry at the fact that he was left feeling stupid. On the streets letters and words were of little use. Severus was just glad that his street upbringing meant that mathematics was essential for not being scammed so they didn't have to go over basic arithmetic although Severus did have to show Harry what numbers were written down.

'Raven do you want to spend break with Ms. Perks and Mister Zabini?' asked Severus.

Raven shrugged, 'whatever.'

'I think you should,' Severus said softly. 'You need friends.'

Raven shrugged but Severus took the boy to the Great Hall to find his friends. Luckily break wasn't regulated so they could call a quick meeting in the Staffroom. All the teachers were in the staffroom wondering what was going to be discussed.

'S-s-s-s-s-everus,' Quirrell said. 'I-I-I-I m-m-missed M-m-m-m-mister P-p-p-potter t-t-t-today.'

'That is what we are here to talk about,' Albus said gravely.

'Is he okay?' asked a concerned Sprout who liked the boy.

'It turns out that Mister Potter's Aunt and Uncle abandoned him on the streets when he was four years old,' Albus said gravely.

There were several intakes of breath but not from Quirrell Severus noted. Severus was well aware that there was more to Quirrell than he pretended to be. Albus did too but he wasn't sure what so had decided to keep an eye on him until then.

'And he survived,' Charity Burbage said. 'The streets are a dangerous place for a child.'

'Potter is considerably rough around the edges,' Severus said darkly, 'and violent if he feels threatened or insulted although it has to be noted he won't fight if he feels his adversary has the advantage.'

'The problem is Mister Potter is completely illiterate,' Minerva added.

'Nobody to teach him on the streets,' Filius nodded.

'Why wasn't he picked up by the police and sent to an orphanage?' asked Pomona.

Albus repressed a shudder at the idea of the boy being brought up in the same conditions as the Dark Lord. The streets were bad enough but at least he had some sort of loyalty to his Muggle street friends. He couldn't begin to imagine what Harry would be like if he grew up in an orphanage.

'I believe he was,' Albus said. 'There was records of a child bearing Harry's description being picked up by the police on a raid upon a street criminal by the name of Morpheus-'

'Harry did _dealings_ with a man called Morpheus,' Severus added.

'So Harry then,' Albus said.

'He answers to Raven,' Severus said.

'H-h-h-he's a c-c-c-c-criminal?' stuttered Quirrell.

'He's alive,' Severus said sharply. 'Considering how he grew up that something.'

'So what are we going to do about his education?' asked Filius.

'I have begun teaching him basic letters,' Severus said. 'For now he will only attend classes that are purely practical. I will assign a house elf to scribe his written pieces until he is literate enough to write his own assignments and understand theory classes.'

'What about teaching him the magical disciplines?' asked Filius.

'I have Masteries in Potions and Defence,' Severus said. 'I am sure I have enough knowledge for the rest of the subjects to teach him the first year syllabus.'

'I can help with Charms,' Filius said.

'And I with Transfiguration,' added in Minerva.

'And I with Herbology,' Pomona said. 'The boy's a natural when it comes to the practical side always willing to get stuck in unlike some I can mention.'

'I c-c-c-can h-h-h-help,' Quirrell said.

'That will be unnecessary,' Severus said coolly. 'I too have a Mastery in Defence.'

'O-o-o-of c-c-c-course S-s-s-s-Severus d-d-d-didn't m-m-m-m-mean t-t-t-t-t-to i-i-intrude,' stuttered Quirrell.

'I'm sure,' Severus drawled.

'In the day I'll be able to cover Astronomy,' Aurora added.

'That only leaves history I believe which I have a Mastery in,' Albus said.

They talked a bit longer it was decided that on Monday Filius would come and help the boy with charms. On Tuesday Albus would teach him magical history. On Wednesday Pomona was to take him for Herbology. On Thursday McGonagall would teach Harry transfiguration. On Friday night Aurora would take Harry for Astronomy. And over the weekend Severus would help Harry with writing, potions and defence. Severus didn't know how long it would take Harry to obtain a literary level so that he could at least attend classes with his year mates but they would help him until then.

Harry had become a ward of Hogwarts. This law had been set up in the times of the witch burnings mainly for muggle raised children but could be for any child. If a child between the ages of eleven and seventeen was seen to be in danger from their current guardians and possible future guardians they could be sponsored by the teachers. It wasn't used often nowadays but with possible future guardians such as the Malfoys Albus was keen to keep Harry from their influence. Albus hoped that felt that Andromeda and Ted Tonks would be the best option.

Andromeda was second cousin to Harry through Harry's grandmother Dorea. However, as she had been disowned then Narcissa Malfoy would have a higher claim despite being younger. It was this reason Albus had placed Harry with the Dursleys in the first place because despite being Muggles they had stronger familial ties being Harry's biological aunt.

-THE STREET RAT-

Meanwhile Raven had found Blaise and Sally-Anne. They had been quite relieved to see him. Harry had found out that they had feared he had been expelled when they realised he hadn't appeared to either Defence or History.

'Nae, Snape wiz worried wizn't he,' Raven said.

That was when Ron Weasley approached them with a sneer on his face. As usual Weasley was backed up by the tall black boy and the short sandy haired boy. Weasley seemed to take his sorting into slytherin as a personal affront.

'Wit dae yeh wan'!' Raven demanded.

Raven was mentally preparing for a fight. In his experience people didn't confront you like that unless they were hoping to beat you for one reason or another. The only way to make them stop is to prove that you were stronger than them.

'Oot wit' it,' Raven barked at the Gryffindor boys.

Ron sneered at the other boy, 'what are you still doing here? I thought you'd been kicked out!'

Raven snorted, 'don' be a fuckin' idiot.'

'What's going on here?' a self-righteous voice sounded.

It was Percy Weasley who had seen the gathering crowd hoping to see a fight break out between the Boy Who Lived and the youngest Weasley boy. Weasley had come to break up the fight. Raven cared not as he had absolutely no respect for authority figures.

'Ron, Potter, what is going on?' demanded the red head.

'Fuck off,' Raven said.

'Nothing,' Weasley said.

The elder Weasley turned beetroot at the swear word. Raven sneered at the fifteen year. Surely at fifteen years old you knew how to swear. Fucking sheltered arse hole Raven thought bitterly. He had no right to turn his nose up at Raven just because he wasn't what he was expecting.

'Five points off Slytherin for bad language and disrespecting a prefect,' Percy said. 'Five points off each of you for causing a disruption. Ron, Dean, Seamus get back to the Gryffindor table. Potter don't cause any more trouble.'

Harry sneered at the older boy, 'fucking wanker,' he muttered under his breath as Weasley walked away. 'I'm goin' outside.'

Harry stormed off. He hated how claustrophobic it was inside even in the Great Hall where you could at last see outside but you couldn't feel or smell the outside. The only time Harry ever found shelter was at the night. It may be slightly better conditions and he always had food but it wasn't easy.

Blaise had guested Harry to follow him outside so they could talk without the whole school finding out about it. Sally Anne knew that although he had spoken more to her and Blaise than anyone else you couldn't exactly saw Harry Potter was a friend. Harry Potter didn't seem to relate to people well enough for friends.

Blaise frowned, 'I wonder if Professor Snape found out about the scars.'

'Scars?' asked Sally Anne.

'Saw him in the shower,' explained Blaise. 'I don't think he's ever had a shower he looked terrified of it even Muggles have showers! There's something wrong.'

Sally-Anne nodded, 'yesterday in Transfiguration when he looked at the textbook he looked annoyed and confused and didn't even register the words. He reminded me of you when you first moved to Britain.'

'You don't think he could read English?' asked Blaise in shock. 'But he was born in England.'

'And he has a strong cockney accent,' added Sally-Anne.

'Cockney?' asked Blaise.

'Low class Muggle London,' explained Sally-Anne.

'How do you know?' asked Blaise.

'Half Blood,' reminded Sally-Anne. 'My father didn't want me to lose my muggle heritage.'

Blaise nodded, 'well maybe his guardians couldn't afford to send him to school.'

Sally-Anne gave Blaise an annoyed look, 'education is free and mandatory. If Raven's relatives didn't send him to school and didn't teach him at home they'd be in trouble.'

'Well considering they appear to have abused him it doesn't say much about his relatives,' Blaise said darkly.

Sally-Anne nodded, 'do you think the teachers know?'

'Why else would they have all disappeared for a Staff Meeting when we're all on break,' Blaise said. 'The Boy Who Lived being illiterate and abused is enough to get everyone in a fuss. Professor Snape will look after him.'

'How do you know?' asked Sally-Anne.

'My older brother told me,' Blaise said with a shrug. 'He helps all those from bad environments.'

'Does your mother…' Sally Anne trailed off realising what she was about to ask.

'What, no! She just doesn't care about us! If she could get rid of us she would! She marries for money children are just an accident,' Blaise said. 'Potter!' Blaise suddenly shouted.

'Raven,' corrected Sally-Anne.

Harry Potter was looking out across the lake with a very pensive look on his face. Once again Blaise was confronted with the idea that the Boy Who Lived had never seen a lake considering the look on his face. Blaise wondered again what his roommate's story was.

They stayed together until the bell rang for the next class where they separated. Harry going back down to the dungeons and the other two going up the floor for their next lessons. Harry would find out later his new time table.


End file.
